Accidental Homecoming of a kind
by AnotherChance
Summary: The next cough exciting cough story in my 'She Walked Upon a Cloud' series. Tamora Pierce cross SVU. Sarah is hunting raiders in Greenstone when it all goes horribly wrong and she finds herself in yet another 'Alternate Earth'. What is her new mission
1. Prologue

Prologue:

Sarah Gibson was once an ordinary person, like you or me. She went to high school, had aspirations to be a doctor, and indulged in the occasional starburst binge, so like any other teenager you might know.

But Sarah was never going to become a doctor, or even finish high school. One night, after a particularly horrendous starburst binge, under the guise of a familiar nightmare she was pulled into the world of Tortall, a world where mages, knights and medieval kings weren't just the stuff of fairy tales. There, she was told she was to become the 'Messenger for the Gods', a warrior that set about to do the gods bidding.

Her first mission? Defeat the Three Sorrows, Slaughter, Starvation and Malady. It was a success, but only just barely.

The second mission, to protect a boy named Harry Potter and help him defeat an evil dark wizard, went scarcely better as her existence in his universe was strife with killing curses and battles on broomsticks.

Her third was unlike anything she had experienced; a mission to a dimension resembled Earth's culture… in a few thousand years. The job? To protect the Solo children and stop the destruction of the New Republic government, while defying a Dark Lord of the Sith and keeping her cover story of a homeless kid from the lower levels of Coruscant.

And now, a mission of a different kind. More like a second chance after a foolish mistake, Sarah's success will still mean the life or death of innocent young women as she travels to a dimension not unlike her first home; this is yet another version of Earth. Can she readjust and help stop a man that already has the lives of twelve victims on his shoulders? What's more, will the detectives of the SVU be _willing_ to accept her help?


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

Sarah checked her helm once more before mounting Topaz, her beautiful golden mare. The guardsmen formed ranks behind her, and as a column of twelve they trotted out of the stable yards, fully armed for the battle ahead. The winter had hit Tortall hard; early frosts had damaged the crops of many fiefs to the north of Greenstone, and too many farmers had turned to raiding as a solution.

That was what found Sarah riding atop her mount, her eyes scanning the tree line watchfully as they trotted towards it, past the fields her own men were farming, past the mines as men came out to watch the procession. They had been trotting for half an hour, towards the outskirts of her fief on their routine patrol when they noticed something amiss.

Sarah called for a halt silently, raising her hand before dismounting and walking over to the tree line of the woods that stretched over half her fief. _There- broken twigs._ _Someone left a trail…_

She turned back to the men, gesturing for them to dismount before turning to her second in command, Richard. "There's a trail leading into the forest. The raiders probably came out here to steal some of our livestock and dragged the sheep back to their hideout in the woods."

He frowned as he peered at the brush. "My Lady, how do we know it wasn't just village children playing around? It could be a wild goose chase, and a dangerous one at that. With the ground muddy, it'll be more treacherous still trying to navigate through the woods; the mounts are having a hard enough time with the flat ground."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Two reasons why it wouldn't be the village children. One; this is a half an hour's _ride_ from the village proper; why would they walk two hours when they can walk fifteen minutes and be at the woods' edge anyway? And two; I told them to stay away from the woods, unlike _some_ people, the village children heed what I have to say. I thought I've told you time and again to call me Sarah."

He fixed her with a stare. "And I do, but this is a command situation, you need to be addressed by your rank to command respect from your officers."

She sighed, shaking her head. "Call me Sir, then. I _am_ a knight, and 'My Lady' is hardly impressing anyone."

He inclined his head. "_Sir._ I still don't think it's a good idea. What if it's not raiders? What if it's immortals, spidrens stealing our herd? We could be walking into a nest of them if we go in there, and you're still exhausted from fighting off raiders on the neighbouring fiefs!"

Sarah glared at him, but her heart wasn't in it. It was true, her Gift was down to nothing more than a nub; if she used it now she'd be liable to fall off her horse in a dead faint. "My Gift has no bearing on my ability to fight with my weapons. Send a messenger to the tower, have them detach two more squads of men. That should be more than enough to deal with raiders _or_ immortals." She shrugged off her helm, revealing shoulder length hair in a deep brown. Her sharp, green eyes met her second-in-command. "I'll do some reconnaissance, if I'm not back in half an hour assume the worst." She grinned as she finished removing the rest of her armour, leaving it in a neat pile by her horse as she readjusted her shirt.

"That's not funny Sarah." He crossed his arms across his chest.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Oh, so now it's Sarah. Make up your mind, and send that damn messenger already. Don't worry, I'll do reconnaissance the _Shang _way; nobody ever looks to the trees to find a spy. I'll be back soon." Without waiting for a reply she leapt into the tree, levering herself up several meters with the grace of long practice and began moving through the upper levels, barely a blur as she swung from branch to branch.

_Thank the gods my wardrobe is mostly greens and browns anyway…_she mused as she kept her eyes open for any signs of life. Her booted feet barely touched each branch as she moved to the next. Detachedly she reflected on how much she had changed since leaving Earth that first time. The old Sarah would never be seen leaping across tree branches or heading into battle; more like than not she'd be in front of the television or studying for some test.

She grinned as she stopped suddenly, holding onto the trunk for support. _Of course, the old Sarah would never have found a raider's nest in the forest, either._ There, not twenty meters away, was the ragtag camp that signified raiders. She ducked behind the tree trunk, keeping that between her and the sentries as she carefully counted the men she could see. _Twelve… thirteen… Fifteen in total._ She decided, nodding and turning around, intent on starting her way back to her men.

As she readied herself to make the leap onto a branch behind her a crack of a twig made her spin around, even as a rush of turquoise energy hit her square in the chest, she caught a glance at a raider mage as she began her fall to the ground. She tried to spin around, to land on her feet, but the distance was too short; the last thing she saw was the tattered clothes and guarded eyes of the man who had attacked her; Sarah's head exploded in pain as she struck the ground, and darkness overcame her.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

As she struggled to open her eyes she heard the sound of two men talking; she felt the metal rails and stiff mattress; she was moving on a stretcher, and incredibly confused. Finally she managed to crack an eyelid; she saw men in uniforms she never expected to see again; a blue shirt with a design she found vaguely familiar on the breast; they were wearing latex gloves, and as she looked towards the sky she noticed run down buildings dozens of storeys high. The whole thing had a decidedly 'modern' appearance to her.

"W-where am I?" She moaned; everything spun around her head in a mosaic of colours, and it felt as though someone had driven a sword through her skull and was jiggling it around a bit for good measure.

"Don't worry, you'll be alright." One of the men replied, and Sarah felt her eyes drifting shut again against her will.

When Sarah awoke again she watched through half lidded eyes as two women spoke. One was in blue scrubs, the other in 'normal clothes'- that is to say, clothes Sarah would find on Earth. _How the hell did I end up here?_ She wondered, and was surprised to have her question answered by a second voice in her head; the Great Mother Goddess replied. _We brought you here, rather than leave you to the hands of the raiders. We cannot intervene in a mortal's life too often; we needed a reason and the detective there is it. You must help her with a case she is running._

Sarah groaned, wondering why the gods had to wait for a head injury to send her there, and inadvertently drew attention to herself. The doctor bustled over, a kind smile on her face. "How are you feeling?" She asked as she shone a torch into each of Sarah's eyes.

She flinched away from the light before answering. "I've felt a whole heap better…"

"Alright, follow my finger." She moved it up and down and from side to side; Sarah closed her eyes and moaned as a wave of dizziness washed over her. "You've got a concussion; the detective here is going to ask you a few questions, if you're up to it."

Sarah opened her eyes and nodded, surveying the detective briefly before reaching for the glass of water on the table beside her. The woman had shoulder length hair, a lighter brown than her own, and a serious look on her face. "I'm Detective Olivia Benson. What's your name?"

"Sarah." She replied. When the detective looked like she wanted more of an answer she added, "Gibson. Sarah Gibson."

"I was wondering whether you could tell me what happened." She flashed a badge and sat in the seat by Sarah's bed, pulling out a notepad.

Sarah frowned, pretending to concentrate as she thought about what to say. "I- I don't remember. I can't remember anything from today…. Yesterday…" Sarah pretended to look concerned, but the detective merely closed her notepad.

"It's probably just a result of the concussion, I wouldn't worry too much. Can you tell me where you're staying?" Her brown eyes watched Sarah as she answered.

The knight kept the frown of concerned confusion on her face as she answered. "N-no… I don't remember. I live in Australia… but I don't remember how I got here. What's the date today?"

"September sixteenth." At the answer Sarah gasped, her hand moving to her head.

"I- I don't remember anything of the last two weeks…" she muttered. The detective patted her hand in comfort and pressed a business card into her palm.

"Don't try and force it, your memory will come back. If you can think of anything about your attack give me a call, okay?" Sarah nodded, sinking back into her pillow as the detective left. The world spun in lazy circles and she allowed herself to be lulled slowly to sleep.

When next she awoke it was to the doctor from before plumping up her pillow and refilling the glass of water at her table. Sarah looked her over, noticing a denim jacket over her scrubs and tried for a grin. "Home time?"

The doctor smiled. "For me, yes. You get to stay overnight for observation."

Sarah grimaced. "Hey, do you know where I was found?"

The doctor looked sympathetic. "Detective Benson told me you were having memory troubles. The paramedics picked you up in an alley off Fifth Avenue, Soho."

Sarah nodded, her eyes growing thoughtful. She winced as a thought entered her head. "Say… did I have anything on me when I was brought in?"

The other woman pulled a large envelope out of the drawer on the table; when Sarah opened it she noticed a brown wallet that she had never seen before. The doctor motioned to a chair in the corner of the room; it had a pair of jeans and a shirt on it. _Thank the gods for having sense… _she thought. _Or else I'd be explaining a lot more right now. _She checked the contents of her wallet, noticing an Australian driver's licence and fifty dollars in American money.

Sarah drifted off again, waking the next morning to sunlight filtering over her face. A different doctor from the night before- this one in aqua scrubs- smiled as he noticed she was awake. "Good, you're up. I'm going to run a few tests, alright?" Sarah nodded, and the man proceeded to shine a torch in her face, like the doctor the day before.

When he had finished he gave a small nod and held his finger in front of her nose. "Now, follow my finger."

Sarah had no idea how the tests went, but she assumed she had passed because the next moment she was being handed discharge papers. She signed them at the nurse's station after changing back into the jeans and shirt she was apparently wearing the day before. When she was finished she looked around. _What am I meant to do now? I've never been to America, not this one and not my own version, I have no idea what I'm doing…_ She opened her wallet to get another look at the contents, and Detective Benson's card fell out.

Sarah sighed as a plan hatched in her mind. "Excuse me." She asked the nurse in attendance. "May I use your phone?"

The woman shrugged and gestured, muttering something noncommittal as Sarah picked up the receiver. It rang three times before someone answered it. "Hello, may I speak with Detective Benson, please?" Distantly she was amazed she still knew how to operate the device.

A female voice replied. "Speaking. Can I ask whose calling?"

"This is Sarah Gibson… I was attacked yesterday, you told me to call if I remembered something." Sarah winced and hoped it wasn't an imprisonable offence to lie to the police.

"Sarah! Of course, what do you remember?" The woman on the other end of the line seemed slightly preoccupied. _Well if they have a big case of course she's preoccupied. I'm wasting my time…_

"Just images really… the last two weeks is still a pretty big blur but when I close my eyes I see the face of a man… he's swinging his fists at me… I don't know whether that means anything." Sarah bit her lip, wincing as the detective sounded more interesting.

"I'll be down there shortly." The woman seemed about to hang up, but Sarah stopped her.

"I've been discharged… can we do this at your office? I really don't like hospitals…" Sarah asked, even as she looked to the clock. _Noon, lunch time._

"Alright." The voice on the other end of the line sounded the affirmative. "Do you know how to get here?"

Sarah screwed up her face, having not thought of that eventuality. "Um… how much will a cab fare be?"

A sigh on the other end of the line, and Benson replied. "Don't worry about it, I'll pick you up and we can talk at the precinct. Stay right where you are, I'll be there soon."

"Alright…" Sarah trailed off, hanging up the phone and wandering to the seats against the wall, sitting down and waiting.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Olivia walked through the sliding doors, making her way through the corridors and up an elevator; as she entered the recovery ward she noticed the young woman from the previous day sitting against the wall. She approached her slowly. "Sarah?"

The woman shot up like a bullet, turning to the detective. "Detective Benson. Thanks for coming." Olivia watched as the other woman rubbed her hands against her pants, and swallowed nervously.

"It's no problem. Shall we?" She gestured towards the door, and Sarah nodded, shoving her hands in her pockets as she glanced surreptitiously around the hall. "What's the matter?" Olivia asked, frowning.

Sarah met her eyes. "I don't like hospitals." It wasn't really a lie; she didn't like being cooped up in a bed all day, but she was _actually _nervous about lying to the woman.

Olivia glanced at her, sidelong, a hint tickling at the back of her mind. "Do you spend a lot of time in hospitals?" She was rewarded with a sharp look and a slight blush.

"Not that much, but I'm pretty accident prone." Sarah replied with a shrug, keeping her eyes forward. They reached the outside and Sarah glanced up to the sky in distaste. It looked as though it would rain at any moment. The detective led her to a blue sedan; Sarah sat in the passenger seat, resting against the headrest and closing her eyes.

Olivia watched with concern. _If there wasn't a bed shortage at the moment she'd probably still be held for observation…_ "Are you alright?"

Sarah glanced over. "Yeah, just a headache. I'm alright."

Olivia shrugged and wove expertly through the streets; Sarah barely noticed as she tried to solidify the details of her story in her mind, allowing her eyes to flutter closed once more. When she heard the sound of a handbrake she opened her eyes, shocked as Olivia undid her seatbelt and opened the driver side door. "Are we here already? If I had known it was so close I would have taken the cab…"

The detective shrugged as Sarah joined her outside the car. "Don't worry about it; I needed to get out of the squadroom for a while anyway. Come on in, we'll get you settled and I can take your statement."

Sarah followed the woman up the stairs, growing more apprehensive with each step. When she walked into the room Sarah drew up short. There was a board in the middle of the room with twelve photos of different women, all obviously dead, with cuts and bruises covering their faces. Olivia heard Sarah gasp in horror and turned back, pity on her face.

"You should probably ignore that; it's an ongoing investigation, and quite frankly it's pretty disturbing…" She trailed off, guiding the girl into the second interrogation room, pulling out a notepad. When Sarah was settled she began her questioning. "So, just tell me what you remember."

Sarah took a deep breath. _Here goes._ "Like I said I don't remember much from the last two weeks… I just remember walking down a street… and a man pulled me into an alley, he went to kiss me and I pushed him away. I had no idea who he was…" She was drawing experience from an event that had taken place several years before; of course, that had actually happened and she'd had her friends there to save her.

As Sarah spoke Olivia was writing everything down, asking questions for verification every so often. When Sarah had finished her story, Olivia set the pen down with a sigh. "To tell you the truth, Sarah, there isn't much we can do with what you've remembered. I'll ask around the shop owners on Fifth Avenue, but the description you gave…"

Sarah tried to look crestfallen, she really did. She bit her lip, meeting Olivia's gaze. "I understand, Detective. I-I'm sorry, but I can't remember anything else. Just out of curiosity, why was the Special Victim's Unit called into my case?"

Olivia patted her on the shoulder. "When you were brought in… they did x-rays and found signs of abuse. You have a lot of healed fractures, many of them years old, and the doctors rang us. Do you want to tell me anything else?"

Sarah almost laughed, but realised that probably wouldn't be a good idea. "Not really..."

"It's up to you, but we can't help you if you don't speak about it. Don't worry about the case; we'll get him. It may take a little time, but… we will. How long are you in America for?"

Sarah's eyes widened. _Uh oh._ She thought as she coughed for a moment to cover up her lack of a cover story. When she couldn't think of a suitable answer she threw her hands up in frustration. "Gods! I've done better before!" She met Olivia's eyes. "Look, I don't know how I ended up in that alley, but I'm not actually here on holiday, or whatever, and I do remember the last two weeks. Right now I'm hoping it's not a felony to lie to the police…" She muttered.

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Sarah sat back, cursing the gods. For a moment, as she thought how best to answer the Detective, she withdrew into herself, checking on her reserves of the Gift. _Crap! _She noticed it was still at the level it had been at the day before… nothing. "Um… nothing. I have to go."

She stood to leave but Olivia forced her down into the seat. "What did you mean by that?" The Detective was watching her carefully. "What were you lying about?"

Sarah grimaced. "Well, I'd rather not tell you today, if it's all the same with you. Maybe tomorrow, or maybe the next day, when I have my strength up." She tried standing again, but the long stare Olivia gave her forced her back in the seat. "Alright, whatever, fine." She said grumpily. "I'm actually not from this dimension. I come from a world you might consider quite primitive, a lot like King Arthur and his court. The _reason_ I didn't want to tell you is that I have a really good way of proving it, but I'm too tired right now to do it."

The look Detective Benson gave her suggested she dealt with wackos more often than most people. "Hold on one second." She walked out the room, leaving Sarah to wonder where she was going. When the woman returned with a man in tow Sarah had a sinking feeling. "This is Doctor George Huang. I want you to tell him what you said to me, and then explain it all."

Sarah stood. "Alright, here's the abbreviated story. About three years ago I was taken from my home by the gods; they told me I had a mission to go on, and that I had to train up before I went on that mission. I did, and after about six months I was sent on the mission. That's where my scars came from. I went on the second mission about two weeks later; _that_ one lasted ten months. My third mission only took about three weeks; and it's been about six months since then. Anyway, the basics of my training were the Gift, which is magic, knight training- that involves swords, knives, axes and plenty of other useful weapons, and Shang training, which is martial arts training. And I _know_ you don't believe me; I'd love to show you the Gift but it's been a particularly hard winter full of raiders- I'm all tapped out."

Each of the other two occupants of the room raised their eyebrows. When Doctor Huang cleared his throat, he spoke carefully. "And this other world… That's where your injuries come from?"

"Yes…" Sarah didn't see how that was important.

"I see. I think it would be best if you came with me, and we can run a few tests…" He watched her carefully. As Sarah opened and closed her mouth she shook her head.

"You… you think I hurt myself. You think I'm a nutjob. Great. This is the best start to a mission I've ever had." She said sarcastically.

"And what's your mission here?" Olivia asked in good humour.

"Apparently I'm meant to help you lot with a case you're running. I think it's probably that one out there…" She tried to get a glance around Olivia at the pin board.

Doctor Huang's voice was even as he replied. "I really think it would be a good idea if you came with me. We'll run some tests."

Sarah surveyed the two older people standing before her. "I really don't have a choice, do I? I don't want to hurt anyone, so I guess I'll have to come along…"

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Sarah watched as the woman with the friendly smile- _Doctor Driscoll_, she remembered- locked the door behind her, shutting her into the room. They had decided she would be held 'overnight'- _More like, until I'm 'rehabilitated'-_ for observation in a place called Bellevue. Judging by the other 'patients' Bellevue was actually a psychiatric institution. She sighed. _I've always thought this would be an eventuality; I have _got _to stop telling them the truth. It's always the same reaction- 'You're insane!'_

She glanced around the room. Beige coloured walls, a bed in the middle of the floor, when she looked under the bed she noticed the sides went all the way down to the ground. _So I can't hide under it, no doubt._ "This stinks. I am _not_ telling anyone back home about this." She muttered to herself, scuffing her boot against the ground. Pursing her lips she wondered aloud, "Great Mother… a little help? Or maybe Mithros? Anyone? Heck, Graveyard Hag, work your magic!" She received no reply. "Damnit."

She shuffled to the door, examining the lock. _Stang! _She thought venomously. _I don't know how to pick these locks!_ Her friend, George, had taught her how to pick locks, but they were mostly skeleton key locks; she was stuck there. _Until my Gift restores itself._

Sarah flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. _I guess I have to wait it out._


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

Sarah spent the next two days meditating. She was considered a 'non-threat' and thus they didn't force any drugs into her system, and they only _asked_, not demanded that she attended therapy sessions. She declined. Duh. After the second day was up she glanced out the small window to the room. The sun was setting. _Soon it'll be dark, the shifts will change. Last night it was just a skeleton staff at night, I should be able to break out. _Returning to her bed she sat down, closing her eyes as she withdrew into herself. _Ah, almost back at top shape. Good._

Sarah reviewed her plan. First: to melt the locks off the door. Second: use a disillusionment spell to waltz right on past the security guards. _Sometimes the simplest plans are the best. _She mused.

After a few hours she heard the staff changing. _A few more minutes, and I'll make my move. _She watched as the guards made a patrol of the corridors before setting up at the ends. Sarah placed a hand on the lock, allowing crimson energy to flow into the lock; it heated slowly and with a sizzle the metal melted, dripping down the inside of the door frame. _Quieter! _She scolded herself.

The doors were designed to open inwards; a fact that was a big factor in her plans. As she pulled it open slowly, Sarah wove a crimson shield of misdirection around herself. It would fool anyone that tried to look at her; they'd suddenly want to look away. And then she walked casually past the guards and out the doors, walking down the street until she made her way to an alley. There, she carefully transfigured her clothes and settled down in the alley to wait for morning.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Olivia was just walking through the doors to the sixteenth precinct when her phone rang. She flipped the top and answered. "Benson."

The voice on the other end of the line was that of George Huang. "Olivia, I have some… disturbing news."

"What is it?" She frowned, her eyes moving to the pin board; there was a thirteenth photo pinned up. "It's not the latest victim, is it?"

"There's that too, but that girl from the other day? Sarah Gibson? The one I took to Bellevue?" She could hear the wince in his voice as he spoke.

"What is it?" She was immediately on guard. "What happened to her?" Olivia shook her head to Elliot when he shrugged in confusion.

"She escaped last night." That was the last thing she expected to hear.

"What?! What do you mean she escaped- didn't they drug her? I thought it was determined she was a danger to herself." Olivia's jaw hung open as she heard what he had to say.

"No they didn't drug her, she went cooperatively. Apparently the lock was _melted_ off." His voice sounded intrigued. "But I'll tell you the rest when I get to the squadroom."

As she waited for the psychiatrist to arrive, Olivia reviewed the case in her mind. Thirteen women raped in four and a half weeks; all tied into the same submissive position, all left dead in very public places. When she walked over to the pin board she noticed the latest victim was found in Times' Square. A voice sounded behind her, making her jump.

"You know, I understand it probably wasn't the smartest thing for me to do, telling you the truth about myself without an ounce of evidence." As Olivia turned she saw Sarah standing behind her, eyes on the pin board, grimacing at the images before her, arms crossed against her chest. "Of course, it was a nice, quiet little holiday, and I'm quite rested, thanks very much."

"You shouldn't be here. I'm very busy." Olivia grabbed the woman by the shoulder and led her towards the waiting area. "Wait here, and I'll call George to take you back to Bellevue."

Sarah let out a laugh and planted her feet. A muscular man stood to help Olivia. "Oh, I'm not going back. Now, I'd prefer to do this in private, so can we move this to one of the other rooms?"

"No, we can't." The man's voice was sarcastic as he grabbed her other shoulder.

"Alright…" Sarah tried to sound forlorn, but could only manage a reckless grin. _The expression on their faces will be priceless! _The more childish part of her mind thought. She held up her hands, as though placating, and focused on her Gift. The appendages burst into crimson flames.

"What the hell?!" The man whipped off his jacket, throwing it over Sarah's hands and smothering them in an attempt to put out the fire.

Sarah rolled her eyes as she shrugged off the jacket. "Did it _honestly_ look like it hurt? Look." She thrust her hands at detective. "Not a burn on them."

There were two jaws dropping; Olivia was the first to recover. "Perhaps we should take this some place else." She led them to an office where a balding man was sitting.

He looked up as they entered the room. "Benson, Stabler, what can I do for you? And who might this be?"

"Hi, the name's Sarah." She thrust a hand towards the man, a carefree grin on her face.

He took the hand even as he looked to Benson. "Is this Sarah from the other day?" He had been at lunch at the time, and thus only knew of the girl from her reputation.

Benson looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, but I think we may have been a little… premature to stick her in Bellevue. Go ahead, show him what you can do."

"Oh, so now you believe me…" Sarah muttered, but proceeded to call upon her Gift once more, much to his shock.

When he had recovered Sarah sat down in the chair before his desk, putting her feet up. "Now, while my institutionalisation will make a _great_ conversation point when I get home, I figure I'd better explain myself."

He blinked. "In a minute, Olivia, get Munch and Fin. George and Casey if they're here, if not… we'll have to fill them in later."

So after a third demonstration and after they had moved to an interrogation room- the gathering was much too large for the Captain's office- Sarah looked around the room. "Okay, so introductions first. My name's Sarah…" She looked around hopefully, and as they answered she carefully stuck names to faces. "Alright then, so let me make sure I've got this right. ADA Casey Novak-" A nod was her response. "Detectives Tutuola Fin, John Munch, Elliot Stabler." More nods. "FBI Doctor George Huang, and I already know you, Detective Olivia Benson."

"Maybe you should get to an explanation for that freaky light show." The man named 'Fin' said dryly.

"Alright then. This is a considerably longer explanation than I gave Dr Huang and Detective Benson, but since you already know I'm not _insane_, thank you very much, I guess you don't mind." She took a breath. "Three years ago the gods took me from my home as I slept. They dropped me in the middle of a banquet in my nightgown and told me I was supposed to do a mission for them, that I was the 'Messenger for the Gods'. They instructed the King of Tortall, Jonathon of Conte, to organize my training in the Gift, which I showed you, the Shang arts, which is a form of martial arts, and as a knight. At first I refused, but… you learn quickly enough that's not really an option. I trained for about six months before they sent me on the mission, and before you ask, _no_ I'm not masochistic. The scars I have are mostly from that first mission. Any questions so far?"

"Just how old are you?" Novak asked in disbelief.

"Twenty one in four and a half months." She answered. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"So these… these 'gods' sent you on a mission when you were seventeen?" Stabler's voice was held with barely restrained anger.

"Well…technically I was eighteen when I was sent on that first mission, I was in _training_ from seventeen. If there aren't anymore questions?" Sarah sighed. "Alright, so after the first mission I was given a whole month of rest, half of which I was unconscious for. I went back to my Earth for a time, and decided that Tortall was the place for me, and I was sent on my second mission just after the king granted me a fief… that's kind of like a large plot of land, or a province. The second mission lasted ten_ long_ months, and the gods sent my friend Alanna- she trained me as a knight and in my Gift- along too. Anyway, I had a nice, long, _five months_ off after that before I was sent on my third mission. That only lasted about three weeks, and since then it's been almost a year since the gods called upon me. So, any more questions?"

"Um, yeah." Munch's voice was sarcastic. "My _first_ question goes something along the lines of 'what were you smoking when you thought up _that_ story'."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Do you need another demonstration? I mean, I thought the flaming hands was pretty convincing."

"That can be faked." He waved her off with a hand.

She started laughing. She couldn't help it; she shook her head, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "Fine, don't believe me, that's okay. But are there anymore questions?"

"Yeah…" The expression on Novak's face was contempt. "Just _what _were these 'missions' of yours?"

Sarah sighed, her eyes growing distant as she remembered. "Well, the first was to defeat three creatures known as 'the Three Sorrows'. They were Slaughter, Starvation and Malady. I- I'd really rather not talk about that, it was the hardest and by far the worst mission I've been on. The other two… well, they were your basic 'stop the megalomaniac from taking over the world/galaxy'. The second one was in another version of Earth, but I spent all my time at a school for witches; I had to help a kid named Harry stop a man from taking over the 'wizarding world' and thus bringing about the death and suffering of everyone in the non magical world." She took a breath. "The third was in a dimension where a galactic government existed and I had to help a couple of people stop a complete _nutjob_ from destroying the government. That was _not_ fun- one of the gods doesn't like me very much, he sent me there in hobo clothes and dropped me in the middle of a crowd, so I spent most of my time there pretending to be homeless."

If anything they all seemed more confused. "And why did they dump you here in an alley with a severe concussion?" Cragen was asking.

Sarah grimaced, embarrassed. "Well, you see, there are laws of nature. Pretty much, what happened was the Great Mother Goddess dumped me there to save my life; if she hadn't brought me here I'd probably be dead or worse at the hands of raiders. It's been a hard winter in Tortall; a lot of the crops from the northern farms have been suffering, and some of the men have turned to taking what isn't theirs instead of earning it. And since my fief didn't suffer as badly, I'm afraid it's a target. Suffice to say I underestimated my opponents, and an enemy mage knocked me out of my tree as I spied on the raiders, which is where the concussion came from." Her face tinged red, and she scuffed a boot against the floor as she shook her head ruefully.

"Okay." Stabler stood up straight, his eyes meeting Sarah's. "So prove it. Call upon these 'gods' of yours."

_Goddess, grant me your presence, please._ She looked around, and scowled when she got no response. "I'd even settle for you right now, Mithros…" She muttered, and growled. "Alright, so they don't want to show their faces. You'll just have to be happy with my magic act."

Olivia stood suddenly. "Say this is true. Why do you put up with it? Why do you let them force you on missions?"

Sarah winced. "Two reasons; the first is that when I refused to begin with Mithros, lovely fellow that he is, showed me everything that would happen if I didn't do the mission, from the point of view of the victim, which gave me nightmares for months. And the second reason is that if I started refusing they might take this lovely necklace away from me; this necklace lets me go to and from different dimensions, and I'd never see half of my friends again. Oh, and I just thought of another reason; if I don't people will die, and I couldn't live with that guilt. I have the power to save lives; as such I can't refuse."

"It's wrong." Benson shook her head stubbornly. "You were barely more than a child when you started, it's just… wrong."

"Why?" Munch asked, almost casual. "The government has been trying to do it for years. You know that movie, Agent Cody Banks? It was based on a true story."

Sarah rolled her eyes, ignoring the male detective's statement, focusing on what the woman had said. "Why is it so wrong? I fight so others don't have to. Look, I don't care whether you believe me or not. My mission here is to help you with a case; I'm assuming that's the one on the pin board." She stood, ignoring the faces on the varied law officials as she walked out the door, heading to the pin board.

She was staring at the pictures of the thirteen victims when Benson walked up behind her. "How can anyone do such a thing to another person?" She whispered, her eyes wide as she viewed the details of each crime under the photos.

"He might hate women; he might be doing it to taunt the police. It could be any number of reasons, but if we catch him I'd wager an insanity defence will work pretty well." The other woman's voice was soft as she answered.

"It's just sick." Sarah muttered. "What forensic evidence was left by the guy?"

"Just a few hairs, but the follicles weren't attached; we couldn't get a DNA sample from it."

Sarah looked up sharply. "Hairs? I can make a focus from hairs and track your man."

"A what?" The lawyer had joined them at the pin board.

"A focus. Basically all you need is an understanding of the complex magic- which I have, and something that's been around the person for a long time, like his hairs. It'll be easy." She met the ADA's eyes.

"Unfortunately," the woman started, "Magic isn't supported evidence in a court of law."

Sarah's face grew serious. "And what will the penalty be when the law finally catches up with him, assuming he doesn't get an insanity defence?"

"The death penalty." Novak replied, her eyes narrowing.

"Well." Sarah thought for a moment. "I wasn't told this case needed a conviction. One way or another, the man who did this will suffer the consequences."

"We can't resort to vigilantism, Sarah." Olivia warned.

"Well how am I supposed to help then? I doubt my detective skills are any better than yours; I don't see how I'm supposed to help with finding the guy if I can't use magic." Sarah crossed her arms across her chest.

"I'm sure you'll think of something." Was the patient reply.

Sarah sighed, shaking her head, before sitting in a chair and turning back to the pin board, her mind focusing on the crime at hand.

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"I assume you don't have a place to stay." A voice behind Sarah made her jump. She looked to the clock on the wall- it was ten o'clock in the evening.

"Um, not really." She answered as she stood and stretched. She hadn't moved since the morning, and she was no closer to discovering a way to help the detectives.

"You can sleep in the crib, if you want." Olivia pointed up some stairs. Sarah looked in the direction she was pointing and nodded.

"Sounds good. Are you heading off?" Sarah asked.

Olivia nodded. "Captain's orders. I'd stay, but he threatened to send me on vacation if I did. After today, everyone's going home for the night." It was true; Munch and Fin had left half an hour before, and Elliot had been gone for five minutes.

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Olivia watched as the young woman walked down the stairs in crumpled clothes, yawning. She sighed as she picked up the bundle on her desk. _This has got to be the weirdest week ever._ She thought as she walked over to the unusual young warrior. "Here." She tossed the bundle at Sarah. "I had to guess at the size."

Sarah grinned when she noticed a fresh shirt and some pants. "Nice. Thanks." She walked over to the bathrooms, quickly getting changed. She walked out the bathroom, hiking up pants that were slightly too large for her, just in time to hear Olivia talking on the phone.

"Got it, be right there." She looked to Stabler; an unspoken message passed between them and they headed out the door.

"Wait! Is there anything I can help with?" Sarah asked.

"There was another girl found; we have to go to the crime scene. You need to stay here. We'll call when we have news." Benson gave her a stern look, and Sarah sighed, sitting back down in her seat as she gritted her teeth.

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Sarah was pacing when they returned, alternating between glancing up at the pin board and shaking her head. Olivia sighed and turned to Elliot. "She'll wear herself out if she stresses so much over this."

"Do you really believe her story?" Elliot asked, watching the girl's routine from across the room.

"I don't know what to believe; all I know is that the fire seemed real enough." Olivia answered before turning and striding over to the woman. "Calm down, we'll get the guy."

Sarah glanced away from the pin board. "Was the call another body?"

Olivia nodded shortly, and her partner pinned another picture to the pin board. Sarah sat in her chair heavily. "I was too slow again." She murmured.

"What?" The sharp question came from the female detective.

Sarah scrubbed her face tiredly before answering. "Every raiding season we get calls for help from places all over the country; sometimes we're too slow to stop the killings. It never gets any easier." She sighed. "So, what do the victims have in common?"

"Nothing." Olivia answered. "Some are college girls, others are streetwalkers, full time workers, they all come from different backgrounds… there's nothing in common. Whoever this guy is, he's smart."

Sarah growled and stood. "You need to let me do the focus! Worst case scenario this guy will find himself at the bottom of the river and I'll disappear like I never existed!"

Novak walked in, a reproachful look on her face. "You shouldn't be talking about such things in front of officers of the law. Just how often have you done one of these 'focuses'?"

Sarah grimaced. "Never, but the theory is solid and there's no way it'll fail." Stabler's phone rang.

"Right." The lawyer's voice was dry. "That's why you aren't doing a focus."

Stabler interrupted whatever Sarah was going to say in reply. "That was the ME. One of the hairs in this victim had a follicle attached; they're rushing a DNA test now."

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Sarah had resumed her pacing; this time she alternated between glancing at the pin board and balling her fists, growling low in her throat. Benson and Stabler had left half an hour ago to wait for the DNA test results; again they had insisted Sarah stay behind. _How the hell am I meant to help with this case if they won't let me _do _anything!_

She glanced up as Munch and Fin grabbed their coats, rushing through the door. She started forward, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned to see Cragen standing behind her. "The law prevents you from being at a crime scene, just as the law prevents you from helping with the investigation. We shouldn't even be allowing you near the evidence board; right now we're just trying to figure out a way you can help us without having the case thrown out the window."

Sarah sighed. "I understand that… I'm just so used to being at the top of the food chain; when I walk into a command centre it's a matter of bowing and scraping until I ask for a status report; here… I'm completely useless. I think I was just dumped here to help you so I wasn't killed by raiders."

He watched her carefully. "Is the situation back at your home that serious? Would you have been killed by the raiders?"

Sarah laughed. "Or worse. I made a rookie mistake and didn't listen to the advice of my second-in-command; I went on a recon mission to find out just how many there were and I ended up landing on my head after falling out of a tree. The raiders… you have to understand they're desperate people. A lot of them haven't had a decent meal in months. If they came to Greenstone as refugees I'd have no problem feeding them; instead they come to steal and pillage. A more _patient_ group of people might try to ransom me off if they caught me; the raiders don't like to wait that long." She shook her head. "I just hope Richard can take care of the defence of the fief while I'm here, or I'll be heading home to a burning tower and ruined fields."

Cragen nodded. "I see. Well, there's nothing to do but wait for them to return, hopefully with our perp, so why don't you get some food? There's a café down the street, I assume you can manage on your own?"

Sarah nodded and walked out the door, determined for a change in scenery as she trotted out of the precinct.

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"Martin Carter, open up! This is the police!" Elliot pounded on the door. Martin Carter had spent time in Rikers for sexual assault; he'd been out on parole for four months. There was no reply, and he shared a glance with Olivia. "Oh well, worth a shot." He gestured to the incursion force, stepping aside to let them ram the door open. Multiple cries of "Police!", followed by shouts of "Clear!" met their ears as they followed the black clad men through the door.

Elliot strode through the room, followed by Fin as Olivia and Munch did a cursory search of the other side of the house. He walked through the kitchen, the den and peered into the bathroom before heading for the main bedroom of the large house. When he saw the contents of the room he drew up short, Fin bumped into him before stopping. "El, what's up? What-" He stopped talking as his mouth ran dry.

Olivia and Munch were approaching; "The other side of the house is clear, El. What do we have here?"

He turned. "Don't go in there, Liv." She pushed past him, setting her face as she noticed Fin shaking his head.

"What's wrong? I- oh my god." The last part was a whisper.

There, on the bed, was another young woman, her hands bound above her head, her throat slit, her eyes open and staring. On the wall, scrawled in the woman's blood, were the words "I'll be seeing you."

And on the wall around the crimson words were polaroids of Olivia as she walked down the street, taken from the street below her window, as she ate at a restaurant. Her hand moved to cover her mouth, but her eyes were wide as she backed away from the horrific room, trembling terribly.

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Sarah stood as the detectives entered the room; she noticed the difference in them immediately. Olivia was pale and drawn, and the men were looking very, _very_ angry. "What happened?" Sarah asked at once.

Elliot gave her a severe look before barking, "Would someone please get the nutcase out of here?"

"El, stop! I trust her." Olivia's voice seemed to cut through his aggression, he looked at his partner, his jaw working. He shook his head, throwing one last glare at Sarah before stalking out of the room, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What's his problem?" Sarah asked before raising her eyebrows. "Well, what happened?"

"I…" Olivia trailed off; there was a shadow of fear in her eyes. "It seems I've become the target of our perp. All along George has theorised that he's doing everything he's doing to taunt the police; I guess he was right."

Sarah frowned, narrowing her eyes. "He threatened you directly?"

"He had polaroids of her up all over the wall and he wrote 'I'll be seeing you' next to them in blood. Yeah he threatened her." Fin answered gruffly.

Sarah nodded, her green eyes serious. "For what it's worth you can now consider yourself under the protection of the Messenger for the Gods."

Before anyone could reply Fin muttered under his breath, "Rats in the bullpen."

Sarah looked around and saw a man in a dark blue suit stalking towards the group with two officers trailing behind him. "Detective Benson, you're off the case. From this moment on you'll have a protective detail, and it would be strongly advised that you stay in your home until we've caught the perpetrator."


	4. Chapter 3

A/n. Thankyou so much to Orohippus and Kelly of the Midnight Dawn for reviewing! Come on people, show me the love! Read and Review!

Chapter Three:

Sarah took one look at the grey haired, harsh faced man Fin had called the 'rat in the bullpen' and quietly slipped away. He was the kind of man she didn't want asking awkward questions, she could tell by the way his cold grey eyes rested on Olivia without the slightest hint of concern or empathy. There was only duty.

Walking slowly, inconspicuously, over to the stair case leading up to the crib, Sarah stood behind it, hidden partially by the stairs. And then she watched while trying to pretend as though she wasn't. Olivia tried arguing with the 'rat', to little avail. The young knight saw Captain Cragen lay a hand on Olivia's shoulder and nod in the direction of the door, a concerned look on his face. Sarah could tell Olivia was getting dismissed.

The brunette walked out the door in a huff, stopping only to retrieve her purse and overcoat, and their eyes met across the room briefly. Sarah couldn't decipher the look Olivia had given her, but she returned it evenly, and almost jumped when Fin all but materialised next to her. "You'll need someplace else to stay. With the IAB coming and going during the investigation we can't have a civilian seen coming and going from the crib."

Sarah nodded. "Fair enough. I've got surveillance to do on Olivia's apartment anyway."

"You gotta be careful not to be seen by the uniforms on Liv, if they catch you you'll be a suspect." He looked at her with a serious expression, with she returned with a reckless grin.

"Come on, as if _I'll_ be caught by a couple 'a cops."

He ignored the tone in her voice and continued. "And what're you gonna do for sleeping?"

"I'll find someplace to sleep during the day; the chances of Olivia being nabbed during daylight are pretty slim." Sarah met his gaze openly, even as he rephrased his question.

"Yeah, but _where're_ you gonna sleep?"

"I don't know. Park bench?" She was amused by the headshake her answer received, even as he dragged her over to the centre of the room, where Captain Cragen, Elliot, Munch and now George and Casey were standing around, talking quietly.

"Casey, Sarah here needs someplace to crash." Fin started without preamble. "Can she stay at your joint?"

Sarah frowned. "I don't want to be an inconvenience. I'll be keeping strange hours, anyway."

"What are you going to be doing?" Casey asked, an identical frown on her face.

"Surveillance. During the evening I'll be watching Olivia, making sure no one gets passed the uniforms watching her." Sarah explained.

"Hold on," Munch said. "Didn't you get caught last time you were doing surveillance? Something about falling out of a tree?"

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "The raider mage had surveillance spells up. That's what got me. Does anyone here know magic? No? Well then there's nothing to worry about." Sarah was a little snippy. She went through this routine everywhere she went, apart from Tortall. That was part of the reason she loved it so much there; people actually _trusted_ her.

They were all silent after that, watching her carefully. She could almost see the gears ticking over in George Huang's head as he psychoanalysed her behaviour. Elliot stalked away without another word, but he sent her a contemptuous look before he left. Sarah rolled her eyes. "Would someone _please_ remove the stick from his arse?" She muttered under her breath.

Fin grinned. "You're under his skin. The last time we had someone in here talking about supernatural powers he ended up being the perp. Sure, you've proved you actually _have_ magic, but you still remind him of Valentine."

Sarah blew out a noisy sigh. "Whatever. I have to be going. If someone can point me in the right direction to Olivia's place…?"

Casey gathered her purse. "You can sleep at my place. Come on, I'll show you around and get you settled, and I'll drive you to Olivia's."

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Sarah walked through the door to ADA Casey Novak's apartment a few strides behind the attorney, looking around with an approving look. "Nice place you've got here."

The older woman shrugged. "I guess. I spend most of my time at the office. Here," She had her hand in the second drawer in the kitchen. Withdrawing it, she revealed a key in her grip, which she passed to Sarah. "That way you can get in and out whenever you want. Don't ask me why I'm trusting you, but I am."

Sarah grinned. "Don't worry. I won't steal your clock radio."

Casey cracked a small smile- an expression that hadn't graced her face since she had heard Olivia was a target of a psychotic killer. "Please, you'd be doing me a favour if you did. Somehow it manages to go off in the middle of the night every couple of days." She hesitated, a grimace on her face. "Do you still mean to do this?"

The younger woman nodded seriously. "I get to go home when the case is resolved. The best way to do that is to watch Olivia and wait for Carter to show up."

This resulted in a headshake from the woman. "I don't know why you put up with it…" She scribbled a number on a piece of paper. "This is my cell, call me if you need anything, or if anything happens. We should get going; I've got to get back to work, and I still need to show you where Olivia lives from here."

The attorney walked towards the door as Sarah watched. Following, she murmured, "It's not that I _put up_ with the job… It's more that I find myself enjoying it from time to time…"

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After ten minutes of driving Casey nodded at a large brick apartment building. "That's Olivia's building. Her's in the fourth floor up, and her kitchen window is on the far left of the building. I'll drop you off around the corner and down the road a bit. Do you think you can manage getting back to my apartment alright when you're done, or will you need me to pick you up?"

Sarah shook her head. "I'll be fine. Fourth floor up, far left. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her."

As they drove past, Sarah glanced at the police car with blue and red lights on the top. "They couldn't be more obvious, could they?"

"They're there as a deterrent, not to use Liv as bait for Carter. It's better this way. Here; here's some change for a payphone, just in case you need to call me." She passed over a small handful of coins, and a note. "And buy yourself something hot for dinner; it's going to be a cold night. Are you sure you don't want a jacket?"

Sarah almost grinned at the mothering she was receiving from the woman. She had rejected the offer of a jacket as they left the apartment; she took the money from her and shoved the change in her pocket. "I'll be fine. I'll see you in the morning."

She got out of the car and took a quick look around. It was about four in the afternoon, from what she could tell, and the sun was just disappearing behind a tall building. _I hate big cities._ She thought to herself as she waved Casey away, before setting off in the direction of Olivia's apartment building. As she reached the corner, she peaked around the building edge before pulling her collar up, shoving her hands deep in her pockets, and lowering her head.

She walked head first into a cool breeze, walking down the street and straight past the apartment building. A man in the police car tracked her every movement carefully. _They might stick out like a sore thumb, but these guys aren't too bad._ She thought to herself as she kept walking past. Spotting a stoop a good hundred feet from the building with a perfect view of Olivia's apartment window and the police car, she sat down and mussed her hair before rubbing some dirt on her face to make herself look homeless.

She was out of view but not obviously in hiding, stealing glances occasionally at Olivia's window as she saw the restless detective pacing her kitchen. _Obviously doesn't like being cooped up. I can't blame her; if I were in her position I probably would have stolen the uniforms' car by now._

After an hour of surveillance a man in a long overcoat walked into the lobby in Olivia's building; Sarah held her breath as she watched the detective pacing, almost waiting for the man to burst into her door. Instead a window on the third floor and two rows diagonal from Olivia lit up, and he appeared in the frame.

_Phew, false alarm._ Sarah exhaled quietly, releasing her pent up anxiety in a controlled, meditative breath. _He mustn't've liked the cold. He wasn't hiding anything under that overcoat._ The cold was starting to get to her, and she blew on her hands to stop the chill. _I should have accepted the jacket. Oh well, that'll learn me…_

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Sarah trotted through the door of Casey's apartment building and up the stairs. She had left Olivia's apartment that morning at nine, just as the police changed shifts. It was a little passed nine thirty, and Casey was gone for the day when she made it through the door to her apartment.

She smiled to see a pillow and a blanket laid out on the couch, and made her way over to the fridge, picking up a couple of pieces of fruit and sucking down a quick glass of water. When she was finished breakfast, she collapsed on the couch, eyelids fluttering shut. The next thing she knew, Casey was standing over her, shaking her gently, and the aroma of freshly cooked spaghetti bolognese filled her nose.

Sarah sat up before taking a deep breath. "That smells good. What time is it?"

"Four in the afternoon. It's just canned stuff. The DA sent me home early to get some rest, and I figured you were probably hungry after your all night stakeout. How'd it go?"

She shrugged. "Alright. There wasn't much activity. And canned is fine; I haven't had spaghetti bolognese in years." Sarah yawned loudly, before covering her mouth with a blush. "Excuse me."

Accepting the bowl, she shifted her feet to allow Casey room to sit. They ate in silence, both lost in thought, and when they were finished Sarah took a quick look outside. "I guess I'd better be going, it'll be getting dark soon. Thanks for dinner."

As she stood, the older woman followed her to the door. "Do you want a change of clothes?"

Sarah looked down at her rumpled, dirty appearance and grinned. "Nah, I'm pretending to be homeless, sleeping on a stoop a hundred feet down the road from Olivia's building. This'll just add credence."

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A car pulled up to the curb in front of Olivia's apartment, and Sarah straightened marginally, her eyes narrowed momentarily as a man stepped out. The moment was gone, however, when Detective Stable stepped out of the vehicle, jogged over to the two uniforms on duty and flashed his badge, before making his way back to the building and up the stairs.

He'd disappeared in the stairwell, but he reappeared in Olivia's kitchen just moments later. From their vantage point, the two officers in the cop car couldn't see the kitchen window very well, but Sarah had the perfect view of Elliot sweeping Olivia into a hug before holding her at arms' length, looking her over. They made their way to the couch, and from Sarah's vantage point she could just see the tops of their heads; it looked like Olivia was resting hers on his shoulder.

_Interesting…_ Sarah mused. _They've got a thing for each other. No wonder he's so protective._

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Surveillance was once again uneventful, and as Sarah unlocked the door to Casey's apartment she almost ran right into the attorney. "Morning."

"You scared the hell out of me." Casey replied, holding a hand to her chest with a grin. "I was just on my way out. How'd it go."

"Same old, same old. She had a visit from Detective Stabler, but nothing else even remotely interesting happened. I think the man on the second floor of the apartment building I'm staying at watches reruns of Jeopardy all night." Sarah rubbed a kink in her neck, and Casey turned around and followed her back into the apartment.

"That must be fun…" Casey muttered, sarcastic, and Sarah threw her a grin. "Do you want something for breakfast? I have fruit, cereal…"

Sarah nodded. "I'm famished. Where's the cereal?"

The attorney pulled a box of Coco Pops out of the cupboard, and Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Mmm, sugary goodness."

A smirk from Casey as she pulled the milk out of the fridge and set a bowl on the counter for Sarah. "Make yourself at home; I think new episodes of Jeopardy start at twelve." Sarah narrowed her eyes as the woman laughed. "I'm off to work. Call me if you have any problems."

Sarah nodded as she poured herself a bowl of cereal. "Have fun." The door closed in reply, and she settled down on the couch with her bowl of Coco Pops, before clicking the television on, surfing for something to watch.

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Sarah was up and about by the time Casey walked through the door, feeling fully refreshed from her nap. It was four thirty by the clock on the wall, and she could smell the exotic aroma of Chinese food coming from the hallway as Casey threw her keys on a little table in the entry, before making her way into the kitchen.

"Ooh, Chinese. This is like a homage to all the things I haven't had since going to Tortall. Coco Pops… Chinese food… television. If I'm not careful, I might go back to old habits and start watching reruns of shows I've already seen." Sarah grinned as she peered into the boxes. Looking into the last one and noticing what looked like tentacles, she grimaced. "Then again…"

"You don't like Tako?" Casey asked with a smirk. "I got the food from a little Japanese/Chinese restaurant. I figured you should eat before you go out on a surveillance."

Sarah nodded. "I figured I should too. This looks great."

They ate on the couch, watching the news, and as Sarah slurped some noodles down she almost choked when a story about Martin Carter came on. "_He's killed fourteen people and is considered armed and especially dangerous. Police advise you not to approach. Now, over to Bob for the weather…_"

They sat in silence for a while before Sarah stood with her empty food box and put it in the bin. She took a bottle of water from the fridge and asked, "Do you mind if I take this water?"

"Not at all." Casey joined her in the kitchen to dispose of her box. "Just be careful not to get caught. This case is high profile; if any of the surveillance team think you're even remotely suspicious, you'll be thrown in a holding cell."

_As if a holding cell could keep me…_ "Don't worry, I won't get caught."

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She chose a stoop a little closer to the apartment building that night, hoping to avoid the five hours of Jeopardy reruns she'd endured the evening before. Rubbing her bare arms, she thought to herself, _Why didn't I take a jacket? I was cold last night, I was cold the night before… and now I'm cold tonight. Damn, I'm _smart Even her mental voice had a sarcastic tone to it.

A few hours into her surveillance, a second police car turned up and parked behind the first. Sarah saw two men get out, walk over to the first car, and flash their badges. Then the first car drove off, and the two men headed to the apartment building. _Shift change. They must be checking on Olivia to make sure she's still okay. _

Sarah waited while they disappeared. She was Olivia get up and move out of her field of vision, and after a few moments a black van appeared at the sidewalk in front of the building. _I have a bad feeling about this…_ she stood in her place, her eyes narrowing before widening in shock as the two men in uniform appeared at the bottom of the stairwell, dragging an unconscious Olivia on their shoulders before throwing her in the backseat.

Sarah took off like a jack rabbit, running towards them as fast as she could. The sliding door slammed shut, and the van began to move. She angled towards it, but the driver picked up speed and swerved, clipping her as he went past.

Stars filled her vision as her head collided with the asphalt; her leg ached with pain. Sarah struggled to sit up, but the van was around the corner, speeding away, even as she struggled to her feet. "Shit."

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Sarah had found a pay phone just down the street and called Casey with the change she fished out of her pocket. After a brief explanation, she hung up and waited. At the older woman's suggestion, Sarah put in an anonymous call to the police, detailing what she saw, before limping a block down the road and waiting for Casey to arrive. Five minutes later the attorney appeared in her car, opening the passenger side door as she approached. "Get in."

Sarah limped to the opened door, sliding onto the cushion seat with a wince. Casey looked her over as she pulled the door closed, a worried expression on her face. "Are you alright?"

"Hit and run. I'll be fine, they just didn't want me chasing them down the street. It's just some bumps and bruises. The cops are on their way. Where are we headed?"

"The office. The others need to know about this, and they're all pulling long hours trying to find Carter." The woman kept her eyes on the road, but she stole glances at Sarah's torn and ripped appearance. "You _sure_ you're okay?"

Sarah nodded. "I've had worse."

They pulled into a spare car park at the precinct and walked up the stairs. Casey called the elevator, and when they stepped out a battering ram slammed Sarah into a wall; she saw stars again. "You were supposed to be watching her!" Elliot yelled in her face. "You let her get kidnapped?!"

The young knight slumped to the ground as Fin and Cragen pulled him off of her, Casey dropped to one knee beside her. "Sarah, are you okay?"

She used the wall of the elevator for support as she pushed herself to her feet. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

A door opened, and George Huang stepped into the room. Sarah was somewhat surprised he was pulling the long hours as well; she couldn't see much use for him if they already had the perp. She allowed Casey to seat her in a chair by a desk, and rested her forehead against her palm, keeping her head lowered. Elliot was still cussing, but he didn't need to be restrained as he paced backwards and forwards at the other end of the room.

George crouched in front of her, and made her meet his eyes. After testing for a concussion, he checked her calf, which ached ferociously. "It's not broken. You just need some ice for the swelling."

Munch took off to find the ice, and Sarah stood, walking to a safe distance away from Elliot. "I'm sorry. I didn't realise they weren't cops until they dragged Olivia down the stairs, and by then the getaway vehicle was in place. They moved too fast for me."

He gave her a dirty look and turned away. Cragen spoke up from behind her. "What I wanna know is how they fooled the uni's on Olivia's apartment."

Sarah turned to face him as her ice pack arrived; she gratefully took a seat and pressed it against her calf. Casey took her right arm and began to tend to a graze she didn't realise she had. "They arrived in a police car, and walked straight over to flash their badges at the two officers on duty. I think they must've said something about taking over, because the next thing I know they've replaced the officers that were watching Olivia, and I'm watching them walk up the stairs to Olivia's apartment. I just assumed they were making sure she was still there, and the other two hadn't lost her on their watch. I didn't realise they were going to kidnap her."

"It must've been a pretty good fake badge if it fooled the uni's on watch." Fin frowned. "This is too weird. How are you holding up?" He nodded to Sarah.

Looking down at herself, she realised the source of their concern; her clothes were torn from her collision with the asphalt, and her limbs were covered in small scratches and grazes. "I'm doing alright. We need to find Olivia though."

Cragen took a phone call in his office before returning to the floor. "That was the One PP. They have news on the police that turned up at Olivia's doorstep. Officers Paulson and Gregory were just admitted to hospital in their underwear; it seems someone knocked them both out and stole their clothes and badges. It's their car sitting out the front of Olivia's."

This was met with silence throughout the room, punctuated only by Sarah's chair scraping against the floor as she stood. "You have to let me do the focus."

Dun dun dun…. Thankyou to Kelly of the Midnight Dawn for providing me with the story idea. It will be continued… when I find time. Lol. Hopefully within a week. Please Review!!!


	5. Chapter 4

A/n 1. OH MY GOD! BASTARDS!!! THEY'VE TAKEN LAW AND ORDER: SVU OFF OF FREE TO AIR TV IN AUSTRALIA!!! THE SON'S OF… I'm sorry, I'll calm down. But how dare they! Oh well… I suppose I'll have to live with the reruns on pay TV from season five. DAMNIT!!!

A/n 2. And can I just say I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner, I had food poisoning last week... ALL of last week. And my internet access is the Uni library, so yeah...

Chapter 4:

"_You have to let me do the focus."_

"What? No way. You've never even done one before! And you were just hit by a car!" Casey argued.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Trust me, the theory is solid. And it's not that bad, just a few bruises. We_need_ to do this focus."

"Sarah, you can't-"

She interrupted Munch's argument, snapping impatiently, "Olivia's life's in danger! Do_you_ have any bright ideas about finding her?"

"Sarah." Casey began gently, lowering her back into her chair. Sarah didn't realise she had stood. "We can't destroy the chain of evidence. If we do, Carter gets off scott free. You can't do a focus using the hairs he left at the crime scene."

The young knight took the offered icepack back and pressed it to her calf. She bit her lower lip, frowning in concentration before raising her gaze to meet the serious eyes of the attorney. "What about Olivia's stuff? Does she wear something every day? A watch, a hair scrunchy, anything?"

"I'm on it." Munch stood and hurried to the door, Fin following in his wake. "We'll try to find her watch in her apartment. I just hope she wasn't wearing it when she was taken."

Sarah called after them, "If not, hairs from a hair brush will be fine."

As they left, Cragen and Casey sat across from her; Sarah realised briefly that she was sat at the female detective's desk. "What can you tell us about the vehicle they escaped in?"

"It was a black van." Sarah answered Cragen's question flatly.

"Can you give us a make and model?" Casey asked.

The expression on her face was incredulous as she replied. "Yeah, it was a '88 Nissan Vannette. Dude, I haven't seen a car for years, how am I supposed to know?"

"Well, were the windows blacked out, or were they glass panes?" Cragen continued, jotting down the words 'black' and 'van'.

"I don't know. The sides were dark. It could have been tinted really dark, and I just couldn't see inside, or the windows could have been replaced by panels, but it was too dark to get a good look." Sarah answered, not liking her answer any more than they did.

"What about a bull bar?" Casey continued the tag team.

Sarah winced as she rubbed an aching bruise. "Oh yeah, they had a bull bar. A big, shiny silver bull bar that has a Sarah-sized dent in it by now."

Cragen wrote the word 'silver bull bar' before continuing the line of questioning. "Rims?"

"I don't know."

"Two sliding doors, or just the one?"

"I don't know; I didn't get a look at the other side."

"Matte black, or shiny?" Casey asked.

"Shiny."

"And you didn't get a look at the make? Toyota, Ford…?"

"No."

"Plates?"

Sarah snorted. "Yeah, I got a look at the plates. Memorised them while I was busy getting _run over_. Look, I didn't see much about the van; I couldn't see the plates from my stake out position, and I don't know anything about the model. May I?"

She took the pen from Cragen and sketched the van as best she could manage. It had a rounded front and a flat back, but she couldn't do much else in the way of detail. "There. That's kind of what it looked like. I'm terrible at drawing. Now…" She murmured, fingering the pendant thoughtfully. "I need to collect some things. I'll be back in about half an hour, I hope."

"Where are you going?" Casey asked, concerned. "You're leg-"

"Will make a great conversation point while I'm begging my friend Numair for help with the focus. He's the only person I know that's actually _done_ one, and forgive me, but I'm getting a case of cold feet." Sarah replied.

Casey's eyes met with Cragen's. "Take me with you."

Elliot had approached from behind almost silently. Now he spoke. "And me."

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"Why did I let you two bully me into bringing you along?" Sarah muttered as Elliot and Casey stared, eyes wide open, at the palace. Its windows were lit, Sarah thought it must be about ten in the evening.

"_This_ is where you live?" Casey asked, shocked.

Sarah grinned. "This is the palace, in Corus, the capital of Tortall. I live here half of the time, and at Greenstone the rest of the time. This is where the king lives and the court resides during Midwinter, which is right now."

Elliot looked confused. "Court?"

"Yeah, all the nobles get together to have balls and banquets. It annoys the hell out of me; Jon- I mean, His Majesty, he always forces me to the balls and banquets. Come on, you two. Let's get moving before Alanna catches me out here and insists on healing me."

She approached the gate with the two earthlings in tow, raising her hand in greeting as she noticed a familiar night watchman on duty. "Hey, Yocep. Is Master Salmalin in residence, or has he returned to his tower for winter?"

"Lady Knight, the rumours said you disappeared days ago! Master Salmalin is in residence; his Majesty has mages from Tyra in residence that Master Salmalin is rumoured to be assaulting with questions every minute of everyday." Sarah grinned when she heard this. The guardsman was a notorious gossiper. He continued. "The rumours also say that you engineered your disappearance to avoid the order to appear at court this Midwinter."

Sarah laughed and patted him on the shoulder as she passed. "Even _I _draw the line at a concussion. Have a good night, Yocep."

She pushed past him, dragging the others towards the entrance. As she marched through the corridors, she spoke quietly but quickly. "Just don't – don't look at anyone the wrong way. If His Majesty has foreign mages then the man we need will still be at the ball; he's the most powerful mage in Tortall and the surrounding lands, and he's the only person I know that's actually done a focus before. Stay by my side, and if anyone slaps you, don't slap 'em back."

She didn't wait for a reply as she approached a set of double doors. A bored looking herald scrambled to open the doors for her before announcing with a bow, "Lady Knight Sir Sarah of Greenstone, the Messenger for the Gods, and guests."

The large ballroom went silent as Sarah, Elliot and Casey stalked directly to the throne, where King Jonathon and Queen Thayet were seated. Sarah sketched an informal bow before speaking hurriedly. "Majesties, might I borrow Master Salmalin?"

Jon stepped down from the thrown, followed quickly by Thayet. He held her at arms length. "Sarah! You were captured by raiders! We have Alanna and a company of the Own scouring the countryside for you!"

Sarah swore, even as Thayet added, "You're injured. Sit down. Duke Baird?" She called louder, to an older man standing a way aways.

"No, no, don't worry about a healing. I need to be alert for the next couple of days. I just need Numair for a day or so, if he's willing." Sarah brushed off the Duke of Queenscove with a smile. "Really, Majesties, it's a matter of life and death."

A lanky man came in from a balcony, leading a younger woman. When they saw the spectacle Sarah had caused by rushing into the ballroom in torn pants and a shirt, with a heavy limp and a white gauze patch on her arm, and two people dressed in sweatshirts and jeans, the lanky man's jaw dropped. Numair, one of the most powerful - and childish - mages in Tortall, looked on in shock. "Hag's Bones, Sarah, you're back! Who're your friends?"

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"So let me get this straight." Numair spoke as they hurried down the corridor. "You need to do a focus to find a woman that's been kidnapped?"

Sarah bit her lip as she hurried after him, trying to match his long stride with her limp as Elliot and Casey followed close behind her. So far they had kept more or less silent, taking the surroundings in. She knew, at least in the case of Elliot, that this was the calm before the storm. "Actually, I was hoping _you'd_ do the focus. You're the only person I know to have actually done one, and the stakes are rather high for my first attempt."

He glanced at her as they continued their rush. They were heading towards the magical stores to pick up the supplies they'd need; Daine, Numair's wife and the only Wildmage in existence, had gone to fetch the books they'd need. "Unlike _some_ people, I actually _like_ court functions." He muttered.

"Only when there are foreign mages to interrogate." Sarah retorted, before continuing in a too sweet voice. "I'll take you to Earth. I'm sure I can even manage to convince someone to take you for a drive in a _car_."

His step faltered, and Sarah knew the ploy had worked. As an academic, he couldn't refuse the offer to visit somewhere so unusual he had spent hours picking her brain over. Sarah knew he wouldn't have declined, even without the offer, but now he wouldn't complain about it either. "What do you say, Casey? Care to take Master Salmalin for a drive when all this is resolved?"

The older woman looked confused. "Um, I guess…"

Daine came up behind them, several thick volumes, half of which written in Old Thak, balanced in her arms. "You'll regret saying that." She muttered, and Sarah shot her an amused look.

They finally made it to the store room, and Numair and Sarah went on auto as they picked across shelves. Elliot and Casey watched in confusion, Daine in amusement, as they picked different ingredients. "What about ylang ylang-"

"Not strong enough, not on our-" Numair was cut off in turn.

"Time constraints. Well, what about-"

"Fire rose oil will react with the-"

"Not if we counteract it's volatility with a vervain-"

"The stores have been out of vervain for a month." He finished with an amused smile. "I didn't realise you'd kept up your studies; d'you think you're ready for your Mastery yet?"

Sarah snorted as she discarded a vial of something pink. "Yeah, right. I'll be ready to take the Mastery tests when little Lynnie starts dating boys.

"Actually… she's getting pretty close to the new stablehand's son. I caught her with a bunch of flowers he picked for her yesterday… She says they're getting married." Daine smothered a giggle as Sarah paled noticeably.

"She's like thre- Right. Well I'm still not going to risk the embarrassment of failure by going for it just yet. Do we need anything else for the focus?"

"Just a picture and something that's been close to the person we want to find. Hair, or something similar." He nodded towards the door, and as they exited the room he locked it behind them.

"We've got someone grabbing a hair brush as we speak. Are you ready?" At the nod from Numair Sarah turned to Daine. "You coming?"

"Someone has to stay here and look after Sarralyn. I think Onua would kill me if I left Lynnie with her for that long. Go, but make sure you bring my husband back in one piece." Sarah grinned at Daine's response, before holding her arms out for Casey, Elliot and Numair to grab.

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She came to with a groan. _Where am I? What happened?_ When she tried to move her hand to her head, to ease the throbbing, she gasped. Her arms were tied to bedposts, her legs to the other end. She lay on a lumpy mattress; springs poked into her back.

Olivia Benson began to panic, her eyes searching frantically through the darkened room. She was alone, for the time being. _Alright, calm down. Think this through. Those two officers appeared at my door, and then… They knocked me out! Those bastards!_ There was a chair in the corner, and huge cockroaches running around on the floor. The room smelled of mothballs; Olivia didn't think it had been used very often. Movement on the mattress almost made her shriek; it seemed the cockroaches had found their way onto her bed during the time she had been lying there.

The door to the hallway was open. A light turned on, and a figure appeared silhouetted in the frame. A cold, malevolent voice sounded from the frame. "Ah… you're up. My hired help was a little rough, I see, but it was the best I could do. It's not easy finding someone willing to capture a police officer by pretending to be one of their own, but those two were down on their luck. They'd have done just about anything for a couple of drinks at the bar."

Olivia craned her neck, trying to get a decent look at him. "Carter? Martin Carter?"

"Did you like my present? The pictures I took of you were very flattering, don't you think?" He continued, and an involuntary shiver ran down her spine as he approached.

"You're sick." She managed to bite out. Olivia wasn't easily scared; it took a lot to rattle her, but being tied to a bed by a madman that had already raped and murdered some fourteen women – at least – was more than enough to shake her.

"You'll warm up to me; women always do, eventually." He sat on the bed and caressed her cheek; she shuddered and moved away as far as her restraints would let her.

"Not likely." She muttered. As long as she kept up the false bravado, Olivia could keep herself from falling into mindless panic.

"We'll see." He patted her cheek once more, took his hand on an exploration that ended at her breasts, and left the room, keeping the door open. Olivia knew he was just warming up, and prayed to whatever Gods that were out there._Let Elliot find me, please. Before Carter comes back._

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In a flash they had reappeared in an interrogation room; Casey peeked out the door before announcing the all-clear. They strode across the floor, where George, Cragen, Munch and Fin were all standing, waiting. Munch had a plastic bag with a hairbrush in his hand. When Sarah reached them, limping, she tugged the bag from his grip. "I'll take that. Captain Cragen, Doctor Huang, Detective Fin, Detective Munch, meet Numair Salmalin, strongest mage in Tortall, one of only seven Black Robe mages in the world, etcetera etcetera. Where can we do this thing?"

"Six."

"What?" Sarah frowned at Numair.

"There are only six Black Robe mages left. The Tyran, Jat Krendice, drained his life force trying to create a new word of power. Rumour has it he was trying to develop a way to steal another mage's power, even without a piece of the other mage or a special bond with them." They both winced at the possibility.

"Serves him right, then. Greedy bastard." Sarah muttered.

"You shouldn't speak ill of the dead." He admonished, and she shrugged.

"If the man tried to steal another mage's power just because being one of the strongest mages in the world wasn't enough for him, then he deserved it. I can't believe you haven't exploded with curiosity yet. And no questions! Wow…" She grinned.

"Don't worry, that'll happen after we do the focus." He returned her grin, and repeated his previous question. "Where do you want to do the focus? Someplace out of sight, I'm assuming."

"We can use my apartment." Casey said, and nodded towards the door. As Numair and Sarah followed, Elliot took a photo from his desk.

"You said you needed a photo of Liv?"

Sarah glanced at it. The male detective had his arm slung across Olivia's shoulder in a friendly manner. "It can't have anyone else in it. Do you mind if we cut it in half?"

Cragen interfered. "I'll print off a personnel photo. Give me one minute."

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Sarah looked over at Numair as Casey drove to her apartment. Unspoken questions filled his eyes as they roved over every facet of the environment. "Maybe you should make a list."

"Huh?"

"A list, of all the questions you want to ask. Just so you don't forget any of them." Sarah explained with a smirk.

He reached over and tweaked her nose. "I won't forget them, don't you worry."

She batted his hand away and spoke louder, to Casey. "I'm amazed. I fully expected you and Elliot to fire questions at me until you lost your voices. Am I to assume the worst is yet to come?"

"Oh yes. We're just waiting until Olivia's safe and sound, and then you'll have a _lot_ of questions to answer. Like, why did you say that thing about people_slapping_ us? Was that likely to happen?" Casey kept her eyes on the road, but Sarah could hear the curious tone in her voice.

"Not really. It was more likely they were gonna slap _me_. It's the way a duel is initiated; you slap someone and tell them why you want to duel. It happens to me all the time; I'm not exactly… a prime example of a noble woman. I wear breeches, I can't stand long gowns, and I fight. A lot of the people at court think that makes me indecent, and their favourite buzzword to use when describing me is 'whore'. It makes for some fun times." Sarah saw Casey's eyes flicker to look at her in the rearview mirror.

"Fun?"

Sarah shrugged. "There are two types of people at court; the Conservatives and the Progressives. The Conservatives reckon woman are only good to stay at home and pop out the chillin's. Progressives know that woman are every bit as good as men."

"Sometimes better." Numair added.

"And you can make a lot of money off a stupid Conservative in duels. I think I must have won at least one hundred and fifty gold nobles off of Sir Ansil of Groten by now."

"Last count it was ninety." Numair corrected her embellishment with an amused smile.

Sarah shrugged. "Either way, it's a fortune." For Casey's benefit, she explained. "Ninety gold nobles could feed a dozen families for a year."

"What do you do with it?" The attorney asked.

Sarah shrugged again. "Depends. Buy new weapons, pay my farmers and miners, leave donations of cloth at Lalasa's door step-"

"That's you?!" Numair exclaimed, and the young knight grinned.

"She doesn't let me pay for the clothes she tailors, I've got to reimburse her somehow. Don't tell her; she won't accept any more if you do." Sarah replied.

"How do you stop it from getting stolen?" He asked, curious.

"I've payed off the Rogue; he has one of his men mind the cloth from the shadows until Lalasa realises it's there." Sarah explained.

Numair shook his head as Casey pulled up to the curb. "We're here." They tracked their way up the stairs, and Casey unlocked the apartment. Sarah and Numair quickly moved over to the kitchen bench and laid the ingredients for the spell across it.

Sarah took stock in her mind. _A golden clip to attach the photo and hairs to… binding herbs… a carving knife for the clip to write the runes for protection and detection…and of course, the oil of an Archer's flower to seal the spell._ Glancing up at Numair, she raised an eyebrow. "What first?"

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Steam wisped from the surface of the boiling water; Sarah removed it from the stove top and poured most of it down the sink, leaving a very small amount at the bottom of the pot. Casey was hovering just outside the kitchen; Numair was busy carving symbols into the golden clip; the hairbrush and photo lay unused on the bench. He had three separate books open, referring to each of them in turn as he picked the symbols carefully.

She borrowed Casey's mortar and pestle and poured the rest of the water into the bottom; a packet of herbs soon followed, and she began to grind them up into a thick paste. Something touched the back of her knees; she glanced behind her to see Casey standing there with a chair.

"You're still injured." The attorney said by way of explanation.

Sarah grinned. "Thanks." She sat and resumed her grinding. After a few moments, she added a second packet of herbs, and ground them into the mix.

She had just finished the third and final packet when Numair called from the other side of the kitchen. "Is the binding paste ready yet?"

"Yep." She passed the mortar over, and he fingered some of the green paste, spreading it over the newly cut symbols, generously lathering the golden clip. "Now what?" She asked.

"We soak it in the oil of an Archer's flower for an hour. Then it'll be ready." He answered as he wiped the excess paste off the clip, leaving only green lines where the runes had been carved. He poured the oil into a container Casey had provided, and attached the hair and photo to the clip before lowering it all into the oil. "Now we wait."

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There was a knock on the door not five minutes after they had settled down to wait; Elliot entered with a couple of pizzas in his hands. "How's the focus coming along?"

Numair had his head cocked to one side as he examined the pizza boxes. Sarah answered for him. "We just have to let it soak for an hour in Archer's flower oil, then we'll be ready to rock and roll."

Elliot frowned. "Why can't we do it now?"

"Because it doesn't work that way. If we don't seal it in the oil, the spell could run amok, and who knows where it'll lead us." She took the pizzas from him and sat him down. "Calm down; Olivia will be alright. Carter's worked hard to get her in the position he has her in. He's not about to end it quickly."

He nodded and flipped on the television. "Cragen's doing a press conference right now; it's going to be repeated in the morning." Elliot stopped talking as Cragen's image appeared on the television, next to a picture of Olivia.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw Numair's jaw drop; she grinned. The expression soon faded as the Captain began speaking. "Detective Olivia Benson was kidnapped tonight. It is believed a prime suspect in the rape and murder of fourteen women was behind the abduction. Please, if anyone has any information, do not hesitate to call. We've set up a hotline, and the number is at the bottom of the screen. Every little piece of information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could lead to the safe return of Detective Benson and the capture of Martin Carter. Thankyou."

Elliot flipped the television back off, and Sarah let out a sigh. "Well, we need to think about how we're going to handle this when the focus is ready. Do you want me and Numair to run in, Gift's blazing, and rescue Olivia?"

"No!" Both Elliot and Casey exclaimed at the same time. Casey continued. "I think we should do the same thing you did when Olivia was taken- put in an anonymous phone call from a payphone when we find her, to the hotline. And then a proper task force can move in to rescue her."

Sarah nodded and looked up to the clock. "Forty minutes to go."

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A squeaking from the door made Olivia crane her neck; she wished she hadn't when she saw a brown rat the size of a small dog standing on its hindlegs, sniffing in the air, its pink tail swishing behind it. It was about a half an hour after sunrise, and Carter had been in twice since his last visit, feeling her up and telling her what he was going to do with her. Each time she had to fight vomit. She found herself praying. _God, if I get out of this… if you even exist. Mithros, you're one of Sarah's Gods, right? If I get out of here, I promise to… I don't know, learn your religion. Great Mother Goddess, can you hear me?_

She was startled to hear a reply; a cool, female voice that sounded somehow like the howling of the wolves entered her mind. _Do not worry, your friends are coming for you._

_Am I going insane? Are you really talking to me?_

_Yes, I am really talking to you. I am the Great Mother Goddess; young Sarah is our Messenger. We sent her here to make sure Martin Carter would not succeed in his plan to kill you._

_Why? _Olivia wanted to know. _Why do I matter so much to the Gods, if you're really real?_

_You are doing good work here, my daughter. We want to see that work continue. Do not worry,_the woman repeated_, your friends will be here. Give them time._

A/n. So, what did you think? I had to make up all that stuff about the focus; all the Tamora Pierce books talk about is the fact that they exist, and Numair uses one to find Daine, not how they're made. Anywho, read and review! Please!


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Sarah watched the clock, growing more and more anxious as the seconds ticked away. _Five minutes. Five minutes and we can find Olivia and bring Carter to justice. Just five more minutes._ Elliot was already up and pacing, Numair was occupying himself staring at the television, which wasn't turned on, and Casey was biting her fingernails. As she opened her mouth to speak, Sarah raised a hand to silence her. "For the fifth time, I'm sure it's going to work. Just stop asking me; you're giving me self doubts."

Casey pursed her lips and looked at the clock. Sarah fidgeted before bursting out, "Come on, Numair! Are you _sure_ fifty five minutes isn't long enough?!"

He shook his head. "The absolute minimum is one hour; two would be better but we don't want to cut it too close. Be patient, Sarah."

"Patient?!" Elliot was almost yelling. "Olivia is out there, probably being _tortured_ by some _lunatic_ and you're telling her to be _patient_?"

Numair gave him an even look before replying quietly, "Would you prefer we took the risk that the spell would lead us _away_ from your friend, not towards?"

Elliot put his temper on the back burner, instead seething quietly as the seconds ticked away.

After five minutes was up, Sarah dashed into the kitchen and retrieved the clip from the oil, patting it dry quickly with paper towel. The others were already standing at the door, keys in their hands. "Let's go!"

When they made their way down to the street level, Elliot split off and went to his car. "I'll be down at the station, waiting for the call. Be quick about it."

They sat in Casey's car, Numair in the back seat, Sarah in the front. "Alright, Numair, work your mojo."

"You should do it, Sarah." He replied; she glanced back and met his dark eyes.

"Huh?" She knew why he had said so but she dreaded hearing it.

"You know as well as I that focuses have a higher success rate when the person controlling them has a personal attachment to the one they're trying to find." He answered, and she blew out a gusty sigh.

"I don't have a… oh just hand it over then." He passed over the clip as she continued with a sigh. "So how do I do it?"

"Clear your mind." He began, and Casey started the car. Numair continued his instructions, and she soon had a general direction. As she directed Casey down the road and to the right, Numair coached her into more precise coordinates.

After what seemed like hours, but had only been about ten minutes, Sarah had sweated her clothes through. It seemed using a focus required a vast amount of the Gift, and she was running low. Her eyes flew open. "Numair-" She began, her voice betraying signs of panic, but a large hand on the back of her neck cut her off.

"Maybe you aren't quite ready for the Mastery exams yet. Just keep your mind clear, and let the direction flow to you." The Black Robe mage murmured soothingly in her ear, and she closed her eyes once more.

After a few more moments of driving, Sarah whispered, "She's close. We're almost on top of her. Just down this road." As Casey drove slower down the road, keeping quiet to not distract Sarah from the spell, the sense of direction grew closer and closer. "Stop!"

Sarah's eyes flew open once again, and she glanced across the street. There was a rickety old building that looked like an abandoned warehouse; she could _tell_ Olivia was inside. "There." She said firmly.

"Are you sure?" Casey asked, and Sarah nodded again.

"Yep. What's the address?" She asked, unbuckling her seat belt. Numair followed her movements, opening the car door as she did.

Casey passed over a couple of quarters as she replied, "Eleven fifty-two Industrial Road, the Bronx. You know what to do?"

Sarah nodded; it was still dark out, but she could see a payphone on the corner of the road. She stood to get out of the car, and her knees nearly buckled. Numair caught her with an amused grin on his face. "Need some help?"

"Smug bastard." She retorted, but leant heavily on his arm nevertheless. They made their way to the payphone and Sarah deposited the quarters before dialling the emergency hotline that had been set up for hints to Olivia's whereabouts.

A familiar voice answered. "Manhattan SVU emergency hotline, what's ya name and what d'you have for us?"

Sarah almost responded to Fin's voice, but remembered in time that the conversations were probably being recorded. Instead she said, "I'd rather tell you my name," In her best dumb blonde voice, "But I was walking down the street, you know, to like, _do business_, and I saw some woman getting dragged into a warehouse. She had brown hair, from what I could see. Now, I dint do nothin' at the time, cause here in the Bronx we mind our own business, but then I went home and saw the press conference with that Captain Craggers or whatever, and I got to thinking, that might be the Detective Benson everyone's so worked up about, y'know? Anyway, the address is Eleven fifty-two Industrial Road, the Bronx, just in case you wanted to check it out."

She hung up without another word, and Numair helped her back to the car. On the way, he asked in a quiet voice, "'Do business'?"

Sarah grinned. "Prostitution. It's the only legitimate reason I could think of for someone to be out late at night in an industrial area like this." As they approached the car, they noticed Casey was on the phone.

When Sarah sat back down in the front seat, Casey hung up at gave her a weird look. "Did you speak to Fin?"

The young knight grinned widely. "Yep." Casey shook her head, choosing not to comment, and started the car, heading for a small alley down the street. The area was quiet; after a few moments they heard another car start up, but couldn't see anything. With a start, Sarah realised Carter was going out the back way. "Damn! He's going to get away!"

Casey hit the wheel in frustration. "It'll take me at least two minutes to get onto the road he's on; by then he'll be long gone."

Numair leant out the window, summoning a smidgen of his black and white Gift, and sent it in the general direction of the car that was escaping. "What did you do?" Sarah asked, her eyes narrowed.

He just shook his head. "Check the focus, make sure Detective Benson is still there and still alright."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

"Do you want to know _why_ I chose you, Olivia my dear?" Carter was taunting her as he held a knife just inches over her chest.

"Yeah, sure." She squirmed, trying to get away from the knife and keep him talking at the same time.

"The men that work to thwart my efforts to cleanse the women of this city, they'll never fully appreciate what I do for the women. And neither do you, not yet. I will make you appreciate what I am doing for you before I send you to God. I will make you worthy of the Lord's bounty." He licked his lips in anticipation, and Olivia couldn't hide a shudder.

"I never pegged you for the religious type, Carter. Why don't you let me go, and-" She was cut off by a backhand to the face.

"Enough! I-" He began angrily, but an alarm sounding on his belt distracted him. Carter left the room with a promise to return quickly, to check on whatever had set it off.

In the background Olivia heard what sounded like a police scanner being turned up to maximum; she used this opportunity to try and loosen her bonds, something she had been attempting since she had first woken up.

Her wrists were raw where the rope had chafed, but she didn't stop struggling. Looking up, to her disgust she felt fear fill her eyes as Carter stood once again in the doorway. He stared at her for a full minute before speaking, his voice cold. "We'll finish this another time, Olivia."

And he was gone. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but when she heard the car starting outside, she knew he was leaving because the cavalry had arrived. The police scanner had announced her location, and she thought she had heard the words 'All units respond' over Carter's loud swearing.

_Thank you._ She called to the Great Mother Goddess, just before the sound of sirens filled her ears. She had only a few moments to wait, and she'd be free of this nightmare.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Elliot pulled up a little too fast and nearly jumped the curb outside of the abandoned warehouse that had been given as Olivia's location. He barely bothered to shut the car down before making his way onto the property. Cragen put a hand on his shoulder to stop his headlong advance. "Let the advance teams make their way through. Then you can go in."

The black clad men held guns to their shoulders and burst through the doors, crying 'Police!' and 'Clear!' over and over again. Then the call Stable had been waiting for; a voice came over the radio. "We have Detective Benson, minor injuries only. Send in the EMTs."

Stabler dashed to the entry to the warehouse, followed closely by Fin, Munch and Cragen. He entered the warehouse hot on the heels of the EMT's. After a few moments of searching, they found Olivia sitting on a worn out bed, a split lip, rubbing her wrists and ankles. Elliot swept her into a hug that forced all the breath to leave her; it was followed by hands on her shoulders trying to sit her down on a gurney. "Liv, oh my God, I was so worried."

She let out a shuddering breath and tried for a grin. "Not as worried as I was, I'll bet."

The others greeted her with as much enthusiasm as Elliot, in their own way, and she finally allowed herself to be forced onto the gurney as they wheeled her out of the warehouse. She was inwardly glad for the gurney; she couldn't trust herself to walk at that moment.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

It was about noon, and Sarah staggered into the living room of Casey's apartment with a yawn. "Thanks for letting me crash on the bed, but really, the couch would have been fine."

The older woman walked to the kitchen and poured her a bowl of Coco Pops. "Numair said you'd be hungry when you woke up."

"Damn straight." Sarah grinned and took the offered bowl. "Mmm, chocolatey goodness. So, where is Numair anyway?"

"Hey, it's got five essential vitamins and minerals, thank you very much. He's in the office, reading the manual on how to use the television. He's been through the manual to the VCR and the washing machine already." Casey shook her head. "You've got some weird friends, kid."

"I'm not a kid. And remember how you and Elliot reacted when I took you to Tortall, you can't talk." She pointed out with a mouthful of the 'chocolatey goodness'. She shook her head. "It's amazing how similar everything is to my version of Earth."

"Why didn't you stay there?" Casey asked.

The answer slipped out before Sarah could control herself. "My mother kicked me out for being the antichrist." Immediately she paled and bit her lip, before digging into her food. She didn't notice Numair appear at the doorframe, a wince on his face.

"She _what_?" Casey asked; her voice held barely concealed anger.

Sarah sighed and put her spoon down, a grimace on her face. "I got back from Tortall, and it turned out that no time had passed in my own version of Earth. Well, like a half a day had passed. And I got to my house, and told my mother everything, and then I showed her what I showed you lot. And she started ranting and raving about the devil and temptation and all that crap. And after that… it kinda went down hill."

"You know," Numair's voice startled her from the door to the study. "There was a time you wouldn't even say that much about what happened."

Sarah shrugged uncomfortably. "Well, that was almost two and a half years ago. I'm over it. If she wants to believe in some antiquated religion over her own daughter, good for her. See whether I come to help next natural disaster that strikes."

Casey was frowning, confused. "_Next_ natural disaster?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, the rest of the world found out because a tsunami was heading for the east coast of Australia, and I kinda… stopped it." Sarah finished, mumbling.

"Right…" Casey shook her head, and Numair made to sit next to Sarah.

"Can you explain to me what the term 'TV/AV button means? Obviously it is a button, and I believe the 'TV' stands for television, but what is 'AV'?" He asked, pointing at a phrase in the manual.

She knew what he was doing. Changing the subject in an attempt to distract her from the painful memories. He was none too subtle, but she appreciated the effort. Sarah shook her head in dismay at his choice of topics, rolling her eyes. "Audio Visual. It's the term used for the coloured holes in the side. You plug some cables into it, and you can connect another device to play prerecorded programs."

He looked excited, and Sarah groaned. "Bug Elliot when he gets here; he'll be arriving with Olivia at any moment." _Speak of the devil_, she thought as she heard the door open. Olivia was going to be staying at Casey's apartment until Carter was caught, and there'd be an armed guard outside from two o'clock that day. That left Sarah and Numair a few hours to get out of the apartment before they aroused suspicion.

"I'm fine, El." Olivia's voice sounded from the hallway.

"The doctor said you have a concussion. I'm alright carrying your bags. Just go sit down." His voice filtered through to them, and they both appeared around the corner. Olivia was looking irate; she flung herself onto the couch with a 'huff' of indignation.

Sarah shook her head in amusement, even as Numair shot up like a rabbit, heading straight for Elliot. "Detective Stabler…" He began, and Sarah and Casey grinned. The young knight nudged the female detective.

"How're you feeling?" She asked.

"A bit of a headache, but I'm alright. You're to thank for my rescue?" Olivia asked.

Sarah shrugged. "It was nothing."

The detective raised an eyebrow. "I heard you wore yourself out; collapsed half way up the stairs, according to Casey. Your buddy Numair carried you the rest of the way."

Sarah winced. "So _that's_ how I got to the bed."

Olivia nodded, her eyes drifting to the lanky man. "Speaking of Numair… why is he pestering Elliot?"

Sarah shrugged again. "He wants to know all about a television's functions, and I only just got up. I was _so_ not in the mood to deal with his curiosity, so I sicked him on Elliot. Gives us girls a bit of a break, don't ya think?"

Olivia shook her head, clearly amused at the barely concealed frustration as Elliot tried to explain the basic operation of a television to the lanky mage. "And he's from… Tortall?"

Sarah nodded. "Yep. You have confirmation that it really exists; Elliot and Casey have been there."

"It was incredible, Olivia. There was a huge castle, and men in armour on the walls, and-" Sarah cut her off.

"Staring nobles, and the very real chance that I'll get at least half a dozen duelling challenges for not immediately introducing you and Elliot to King Jonathon and Queen Thayet." Sarah finished dryly.

Casey frowned. "Did we get you in trouble?"

"Ha ha!" She clapped a hand over her mouth to stop the laughter, before grinning. "Nah, Jon and Thayet will understand. And my friends will too. It's just the Conservatives will jump on any _original_ reason to slap me in the face. Don't worry about it, I should make a cool sixty nobles in the days after I return."

Elliot stalked over, yanked the TV remote off the couch leg, and pressed the red button at the top. "This is on. It'll turn the damned thing off if you press it again. Go nuts!"

Numair took the remote with an expression akin to awe on his face, and pressed the on/off button five times in quick succession. When the television finally decided to turn itself off, he pressed it once more, and his eyes widened, before he pressed the down channel button, first once, then twice. A reporter appeared on the screen with a picture of Martin Carter, and a picture of a blue sedan with the back tyres _melted_ to the asphalt.

"_The suspect in fourteen murder cases and the abduction of Detective Olivia Benson was found locked in his car today, with the tyres literally melted to the road, and the doors melted shut. No one knows how this happened, it is only clear that he appeared to try escaping through a window, but it jammed before it was down far enough to let him out. This mystery occurs only hours after Detective Benson was found alive and largely unharmed in an abandoned warehouse in the Bronx."_ The television showed pictures of the melted doors and the jammed window, before the reporter continued. "_It required the jaws of life to cut Carter to safety; he has been arrested and will be arraigned in one week before the Grand Jury. Back to you Bob, for the morning weather."_

Sarah sent an accusatory glare at Numair. "_That's_ what you did."

He shrugged. "I'm not admitting to tampering with evidence with police officers in the room."

She grinned in reply. "Nice work."

Ruffling her hair, Numair began to say, "Thank you." But it was cut short as the world spun around them, and they all landed, along with Munch, Fin, Huang and Cragen, on the floor to the mess hall in Greenstone.

Sarah stood, an angry look on her face. "What the _hell_ just happened?"

A/n. Sorry for the short chapter, I had to end it there. I just _had to_. Lol, I'll update soon, promise.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

"What just happened?" Casey asked as she picked herself up from the ground.

Sarah moved to help the others stand even as Richard and Kris made their way over, their lunches forgotten. "Everyone, welcome to Greenstone. Meet Richard, my second-in-command and Kris, my clerk." She looked to the ceiling, as though glaring at the Divine Realms itself. "Now, I want an_explanation for this._"

A crack and Mithros had appeared, a bored expression on his face. "Yes?"

"Why the _hell_ did you drag them all here? If they want to come, they'll ask me. They don't need to be _dragged here_ against their will!" She folded her arms across her chest and raised her eyebrows.

"You do not need to worry, we knew they would be missed, and time has been stopped in their dimension, like we did in yours for your first mission." He replied, glancing sidelong at George Huang and Captain Cragen. "They were brought here because some still doubted you."

Sarah huffed and narrowed her eyes. "So? Why does it matter?"

He met her eyes and disappeared with one final statement, in the voice he used when only she could hear him. "They will need to trust you in the future. Be careful; there's a group of raiders with the courage to launch an attack at this very tower approaching as we speak."

Sarah's jaw dropped, before she turned to her clerk and second in command. "Kris, get these guys and all the civilians to the hold. Richard, I want three squads of guardsmen on in the turrets and on the wall, and the rest on the ground." She turned to a young man sitting at a table not far away, watching the spectacle. "Gunther, get _all_ the stablehands together and get the horses mounted _yesterday!_"

"My Lady-"

Sarah cut Richard off angrily. "Sarah."

"Sarah, what's going on?" He asked, concerned, as Kris tried unsuccessfully to shepherd the others out the room.

"Raiders are on the way. Either there are a lot of them, or they're really stupid, or they're really, _really_ brave, because Mithros said they're going to attack this tower." She answered, and turned to Numair. "Feel like stopping a raider attack?"

He shook his head, mirth in his eyes. "You just can't keep out of trouble, can you?"

"How is this _my_ fault?" She asked, indignant.

"Because you can't keep yourself out of trouble. I'll think of a better reason later." He answered with a smirk. "Sure, I'd be happy to help. How many are we facing?"

"No bloody idea." She answered honestly. "You really need to accept Jon's offer one of these days for a title and a fief; if you did we'd have a flag to run up the turrets, to scare 'em off. Can you contact Alanna, find out where she is? Jon said she was patrolling the countryside with a company of the Own, looking for me; I figure you should let her know I'm fine and see whether she wants to stop in with the troops for a cup of tea, and I'm still runnin' low." He nodded and she turned on her heel, headed out the door, making her way to her room. She didn't realise that she had company until she was half way there. "What are you doing?"

Olivia answered for the rest of the earthlings. "We want to know what's going on."

Sarah sighed. "There's a raider attack about to happen. We need to be ready, and you need to be safe someplace where the raiders can't get you. Why didn't you go with Kris?" She didn't stop walking, and when she opened the door to her room, she noticed the earthlings pause. An almost grin graced her face; she had her gold washed armour lying on her bed, and all of her weapons were hanging on the wall. "Welcome to my abode."

She stepped behind a screen with a pair of cotton hose and a tunic shirt, quickly changing. When she stepped back to the bed she shrugged a mail shirt on, and clipped the goldwashed breast plate over her chest. She had donned the armour so many times she knew which notch to fasten it at; she had the breast plate on in no time and worked on the gauntlets before pulling on knee guards and a pair of sturdy boots.

"You've got quite an arsenal there." Munch commented dryly. Sarah glanced over before pulling down her broad sword and a recurved Yamani bow.

"Mostly gifts. Some I bought for myself. Most of it's pretty useful, some of it's just pretty." She shrugged into a weapon's belt before clipping her sword to it and swinging her quiver and bow over her shoulder. "We need to get you someplace safe. Come on."

"We aren't going anywhere without you." Casey said, and Sarah's eyes narrowed.

"How's your leg?" Munch added with a raised eyebrow.

"Throbbing, honestly. But the largest raider group I've ever seen was sixty raiders; I doubt the numbers we face are quite that high. As it is, we have over a hundred troops here, and a Black Robe mage. And if they _are_ stupid enough to attack, it won't matter. I'll be on a horse, not on foot." She didn't add that riding a horse with a sore leg was just as painful as walking.

"It's too dangerous for anyone injured to fight in a battle!" Elliot exclaimed; the only other person in the room to have experienced warfare of any kind. Of course, the Marines faced a different kind of danger to raiders.

"Do you know what happens when raiders aren't stopped? They kill, they pillage, and they take what isn't theirs. _Including_ women. I'm a better fighter than all of my men, even injured, and I'm going to lead them into battle if I have to dispatch a squad to keep you all under lock and key!" She snapped. "You _are_ going someplace safe. I won't risk your lives because you don't know what's at stake."

"But you'll risk your own?" George asked, and Sarah spared him a glance before ushering them out of the room.

"Stop psychoanalysing me. I'm the liege lord of this fief, I'm a knight of the realm, and I've sworn an oath of fealty to the king. It's my duty to stop raiders and bring them to justice." She gestured expectantly down the hall, and they all started moving back the way they had come.

"And just what _is_ justice for a raider?" Fin asked.

She continued down the hall at a brisk trot; they hurried to keep up with her. "There's only one punishment for raiders that've killed anyone or engaged in battle against the king's soldiers; a hanging on Traitor's Hill. I'm not big on mercy for bastards who try to kill my people; I try to spare them the wait."

They reached a hallway where Numair, Kris and Richard were waiting, the latter in armour with a sword in his hand. "Kris, get them to safety. If they resist, get a squad and _escort _them-"

"We want to see how you deal with raiders." Elliot interrupted, and Sarah glanced back at him in surprise before shaking her head.

"No you don't." She replied with certainty. "But alright… Kris, take them up to the turrets. If it starts raining arrows, hustle them inside, pronto. Numair, did you get ahold of Alanna?"

"I did, but she's too far away, if they're on the approach now. She's maybe a half a day away, by horseback." He answered with a grimace.

Sarah returned the expression with a wince. "Oh well, worth a shot. You ready?"

"Yes. What's the plan?" He asked, and Sarah turned to her second-in-command.

"Richard, you're on the wall. Me'n Numair'll take the ground forces. The plan's pretty simple – shoot at them until they get too close, and let us take over. See you at the end."

She stalked to the doors and flung them open, walking over to where Topaz was saddled and ready. Richard's warhorse had been prepared for Numair; he mounted it clumsily. Murmuring to her horse, she glanced at the sky, the sun had reached its highest point. _I hope they get this over with, I know I have a lot of questions to answer._ Sarah shoved her helmet over her head and mounted her horse. "First and Third groups, head for the mines. When they pass you I want you to follow, but _do not engage._ You'll be there to keep them from escaping. If they turn tail, I only want you to engage if there are more of you than them, understood?"

The two lieutenants nodded before starting off at a brisk trot. They waited for almost an hour before the scouts atop the wall sent the word via a footman that they had spotted the raiders, thirty or so of them, _trying _to sneak along the horizon, to come up at the weakest point of the castle – right where Sarah and her men were guarding. They wouldn't see the defending troops until it was too late and the ambushing party she had sent out were in place. _These guys are morons._ Sarah thought to herself. _The least they could have done would be to wait until night time, and give my lookouts a bit more practice._

When they got close enough a trumpet sounded from the wall; Sarah heard the sound of thirty arrows notching. A loud, surprised cry came up from the raiders who were now little more than a hundred yards away; Sarah yelled loud enough for them to hear. "Lay down your weapons. You haven't killed anyone yet – you haven't bought your death on Traitor's Hill. The Messenger for the Gods and the Mage Numair Salmalin, Black Robe, are in residence. _Lay down your weapons._"

To punctuate her words, Numair summoned black, sparkling globes of magic to rest in his hands. That decided the raiders; they threw down their weapons and raised their arms above their heads.

Sarah grinned at Numair. "Nice."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

"I honestly expected them to attack." Sarah shook her head in amusement, her mouth half full with food. "Gotta love that rep, Numair."

They were sitting around a table in the mess hall, plates piled high thanks to the kitchenhands generosity, with Kris, Richard and all the Earthlings. "It was your reputation too, Sarah." The mage replied with a grin. "Not many people are willing to tangle with the Messenger for the Gods."

"Pfft, that's no where near as impressive as 'the man who turned Tristan Staghorn into an_apple tree_'." She retorted. Her face broke out into a wide smile at the expressions on the faces of the earthlings.

"He… turned someone… into a-a _tree_?" Olivia looked quite pale; she slumped on the bench.

Sarah had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. "I _told_ you. Magic's really, really useful."

The earthlings had forgotten their food. Cragen stared at Numair. "Why would you want to turn someone into an apple tree?"

"For kicks." Sarah answered quickly for Numair, and received a slap upside the head as a reward. "Tristan was helping Yolane of Dunlath in a plan to take over the world." Sarah corrected herself, with a little embellishment. "So Numair turned him into an apple tree. But hey, Daine turned herself into a wolf and hunted down Yolane, so it's probably not the weirdest thing-" Another slap on the head, and Numair took over.

"Tristan was about to kill Daine, and I wouldn't allow it. I used the first word of power that entered my mind, and it just so happened…" He trailed off as Sarah interrupted him once again.

"You turned him into an apple tree, Numair, and a sour one at that. That was the worst pink lady I've ever eaten."

He gaped at her until he found his voice. "You… you _ate_ an apple from the tree in Dunlath… you _ate_-"

"It was on my first tour with the King's Own. Raoul said 'Gee, Sarah, you must be hungry after such a long ride. Why don't you help yourself to an apple? Maura won't mind. Go ahead.' So I grabbed an apple, took a big bite, and they all burst out laughing. When they told me everything I ran behind a bush to throw up." Sarah turned back to the earthlings. "Is this Question and Answer time now? You _must_ be curious."

"To say the least." Munch replied dryly.

"Well then, who's first?" Sarah asked, taking a bite into her bacon with a contented sigh. "Yum." She murmured.

"What role do you play in this country?" George spoke evenly to Numair.

Sarah spared a glance at the mage, and they broke out in a fit of laughter simultaneously. "Whatever he damn well wants." She answered for him, receiving another whack for her efforts. "Hey! Injured here!"

"What she means to say," Numair spoke to the earthlings, ignoring his younger friend. "Is that unless there's an emergency, or a war going on, I'm really quite useless to His Majesty. My specialties are rather… esoteric. I have no healing talents, and no real war magic-"

"Then why'd the raiders surrender when they found out you were here?" Casey interrupted.

"Power scares them. Numair can turn people into _trees_, wouldn't you surrender to that?" Sarah answered with a raised eyebrow, Casey nodded in understanding.

"As I was saying, I have no real war magic, and my studies were rather… abstract at best. King Jonathon has plenty of mages that know useful talents, so unless I'm needed he lets me run my own studies."

"And what does he normally need you for?" Olivia asked, eager to get information on a world so different from Earth.

Sarah glanced at Numair, waiting for an answer. When she saw he was thinking about an answer she took the opportunity to answer for him. "Skinners, magical attacks against his life, information about unusual magics, new immortals-"

"What're skinners and immortals?" Fin asked, his eyes narrowed as they both grimaced.

"I aint never seen one," Sarah replied in slang. "A skinner, that is. I'll let _Numair_ explain that lovely detail."

He sighed. "An immortal is a creature that will live forever, without dying of disease or starvation, provided no one kills it. They were created hundreds of years ago, probably more than a millennium ago, if the book of-"

"Stick to the relevant parts, Numair, or we'll be here all day just explaining what an immortal is." Sarah interrupted, and Kris and Richard buried snickers in their lunches. "Basically, lore has it they were dreamed up. You know, a unicorn probably came from some little kid thinking how cute a horse would be with a horn, and killer unicorns-"

"_Killer_ unicorns?" Casey's jaw dropped, and Sarah grimaced.

"Yep, _killer_ unicorns. Anyway, they probably came about from people thinking about how a unicorn could turn bad. Anyway, there are a heap of different kinds, some nice, some nasty, and skinners are…"

"Skinners skin things." Numair said bluntly. "They kill everything in their path, leaving trees bare, crops stripped and animals nothing but corpses. We ran into them during the Immortal War, Daine and I, and they almost killed us."

"But you developed a way to kill them, and saved yourselves?" Casey questioned, and Numair grimaced.

"No, a couple of Gods intervened, and saved our lives, and an animal god took care of the skinners." He answered. "They drew us into the Divine Realms, and trust me, crossing the barriers to the realms is _not_ something you want to do."

Sarah smirked before turning to the earthlings. "So, what's the next question?"

"What's _your_ role in this country?" Munch directed the question at her this time.

"I'm the eye candy." She replied with a straight face. Numair choked on his food, before she continued. "I stand around at balls to show foreign diplomats that the Gods still favour Tortall. They don't have the guts to go to war with us, even if they want to, not after the last time someone did and the Gods still favoured us."

Her face broke out into a grin as she turned back to Numair. "You should _see_ Rolon of Tower Key's face whenever I see him in the palace, it's bloody priceless!" At the confused looks everyone not native to the dimension gave her, she sighed. "When I first got here, like, the_second day_, I went to my first Midwinter Ball. Rolon more or less called me a whore; he wanted to see the 'Messenger for the Gods' and he wasn't impressed. A few months later, Tusaine, the country that he's from, declared war on Tortall, and we all rode out to meet them. We got to the battle front, and just when we were about to attack, Mithros possessed me."

"You were possessed." It looked like Elliot was having a hard time digesting everything she was telling him.

"Yep. Don't worry, no projectile vomiting, no one eighty degree headspins. He didn't even ask my permission, either." She sounded miffed. "But anyway, he possessed me and scared the hell out of the Tusaine army, and they turned tail and ran. There wasn't a _single_ casualty. Not one." She said proudly.

"Unless you count yourself." Kris interjected, having heard the story before. "The way I hear it, you collapsed straight afterwards."

She flapped a hand at him dismissively. "Pfft, that was a sensory overload, not an injury. It can't be considered a 'casualty'. Anyway, apart from being a pretty little wallflower-" Numair snorted at this and she shoved him playfully. "I help out with the King's Own from time to time, and the Queen's Riders, and I help out around here-" At Kris' snort she became defensive. "Hey! I'm back here at every harvest! And I help with the payroll-"

"You sign the papers." He interrupted with a grin.

She sighed impatiently. "Hey, a signature's better than a stamp, right? And I do every single thing I can here at Midwinter-"

"Because you try to escape His Majesty's orders for your attendance at the balls."

"I hate dressing up in gowns! And they're so _boring…_" She whined. "And the only excitement I get is when someone calls me a whore, and even then the only thing that means is that I get to fight _the next day_, not right then and there. So I'm stuck, standing against a wall until the end of the ball, or worse, _dancing_ with some fat, slimy, foreign ambassador that steps on my feet! Of course I spend my time hiding!"

"You need to learn some techniques from Raoul." Numair advised. "Get yourself stuck up near Scanra when the passes close for the winter, then you won't need to attend balls."

Sarah sighed and fingered her pendant. "Unfortunately I can teleport, so that wouldn't work. I need to start asking for missions during Midwinter, but knowing Mithros he'd just stop time around here, just to annoy me. But anyway," She continued brightly. "What's the next question?"

"Wait a minute, don't I get to ask one?" Numair complained, and Sarah grinned at Elliot's grimace.

"Not yet, mate." Sarah answered. "We'll let them have the floor first, and then you can ask away to your heart's desire."

"What about me? Can I ask a question- like how you managed to get yourself ambushed, _alone_ by raiders in the middle of the woods?" A voice behind Sarah asked, the tone amused, and the young knight spun around to face the newcomer.

"Alanna!" She almost squealed, and leapt for the older knight, hugging her tightly. "How did you get here so quickly?"

"We rode." The red headed, purple eyed, and very _short_ King's Champion answered with a straight face. At Sarah's unamused expression, she added, "Very hard."

Sarah shoved her down onto the bench. "Sit. I'll grab you some food. Do you have the troops settled? And the horses?" At two, quick nods Sarah patted her on the shoulder. "Guys, this is Sir Alanna the Lioness and King's Champion. Alanna, this is Captain Donald Cragen, Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak, Doctor George Huang and Detectives Olivia Benson, Elliot Stabler, John Munch and Odafin Tutuola. Back in a second. Make friends."

When she had returned with a plate of food for the Lioness, she found half of hers was gone. "Hey! I'm hungry too, you know!" And she scraped some of Alanna's food onto her own plate, before digging in. The earthlings shared amused expressions at Sarah's change in behaviour; obviously Alanna was a good friend of her's.

"Well?" Alanna asked. At Sarah's confused expression she elaborated. "How in the name of the Goddess did you manage to get yourself ambushed by raiders? Numair told me how you were snuck up on by a raider mage and knocked out of your tree. Do you know how many laps you'll be doing if Wildcat finds out?"

Sarah glared at Numair before groaning. "At least a thousand. Knowing my luck, she'll make me do it all without a break."

"Alright, raise a hand if you're confused." Olivia raised her hand, followed closely by the rest of the earthlings.

The young knight sighed. "Like I said when I told you the story; getting knocked out by that raider was a rookie mistake. My trainer in the Shang arts has a method of punishment… whenever I make a misstep or a mistake during my training I get fifty laps. I figure making a rookie mistake that could've cost me my life is worth at least a thousand."

"I was thinking more along the lines of two thousand." Another voice behind her replied, and Sarah cringed.

"Hello, Wildcat."

TBC…

A/n... So Numair was _slightly_ out of character there, whacking her over the head, but pfft, who cares. Two updates in one day, be happy!


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

"Soooo…" Sarah began with a strained grin. "What brings you here?"

"I came because I wanted to see how you were doing, whether you had any permanent damage from your ordeal." Wildcat said icily.

"No, I-" Sarah was cut off as Wildcat smacked her across the head. "What was that for?"

"Being a little idiot." The woman replied. "Get up, you'll start your laps now."

"Wait a minute." Casey interrupted, her voice sharp as she defended Sarah. "She's injured. She was hit by a car last night, and just who the hell are you to tell her what to do?"

Wildcat met the attorney's pointed gaze. "I've taught her everything she knows of the Shang arts, something that has saved her life dozens of times. And if she got hit by a car last night it would be because she didn't dodge fast enough."

"Way to make a great first impression, 'Cat. Here, look at my leg." She slipped it over the bench and rolled up the pants' leg, revealing a purplish bruise that covered most of her calf. "I've got a snowflake's chance in hell I'll manage two thousand laps around the tower today. And hey, cut me some slack, I didn't even ask Alanna to heal it."

"'Cut you some slack'?" Wildcat repeated. "You could have gotten yourself killed! You got overconfident, and you're just lucky the Gods intervened!"

"Oh, jeez, here we go." Sarah muttered.

"Here we go? You little-"

Sarah cut her off, standing and hugging her around the shoulders. "Wildcat. Calm down. I'm fine. I know it was a very, _very_ bad idea for me to run off and scout by myself, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Twenty-twenty hindsight and all that. Now, sit down, have something to eat, relax, meet my new friends."

The Shang Master raised an eyebrow at Sarah. "Too busy making friends to dodge?"

"Too busy trying to rescue friends to dodge." Sarah countered with a quick nod to Olivia, who blushed red. "But that isn't important. Boy this is getting tired, having to list all of you. Here we go. Captain Cragen, Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak, Doctor George Huang, and Detectives Olivia Benson, Elliot Stabler, John Munch and Odafin Tutuola."

"Forget the titles, Sarah." Casey advised, and Sarah grinned.

"So that was her mission? To save you when you got kidnapped?" Wildcat asked Olivia.

"No, I was meant to _prevent_ her getting kidnapped, but I was too busy getting hit by the car." Sarah replied dryly, for the detective, who was looking rather put out by the repeated mentions to her ordeal. "But anyway, it all worked out in the end, and Olivia doesn't want to talk about that, suffice to say it can't have been pleasant and isn't polite dinner conversation." Wildcat nodded, her sharp eyes surveying the rest of the group. Sarah continued. "Cragen, Olivia, Elliot, Munch and Fin are all police officers; they investigate crimes. Casey prosecutes the offenders, and George here-"

"Sent Sarah to a psychiatric institution." Numair interrupted, with a large smile on his face.

Her jaw dropped, and she turned an accusing glare at Casey. "You told him."

The attorney winced. "I didn't realise… he asked what had happened since you first got to Earth."

Sarah groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I am _never_ going to live this one down. Wildcat, I'll take those laps now, and throw myself down a mine shaft after the last one."

Alanna was patting her shoulder while Wildcat cackled. Sarah secretly decided she sounded like the Wicked Witch from the West. Kris and Richard had finished their lunch and decided to leave, rather than risk any wrath from their liege lord, but they had looked very amused. The Lioness was speaking. "Don't worry, my little Nut Job. We'll only tell-"

"Everyone." Numair finished with a smile. "I can't wait to tell Daine. She's going to get a real kick out of this."

"Who's Daine? You've mentioned her a few times now." Olivia asked, in an attempt to draw the attention from Sarah's stay in the psychiatric institution at Bellvue – a stay that was mostly her fault.

"My wife." Numair said automatically.

"Wasn't she the woman that got your books when we were gathering stuff for the focus?" Elliot asked, a frown on his face.

"Yes." He answered, wondering where he was going with it.

"Elliot." Sarah started with a warning look. "Customs are different here. And she's a lot older than you'd imagine, emotionally at least."

"How old were you both when you got married?" Elliot asked amicably, almost pleasantly.

Numair wasn't fooled. "It wasn't like that." He replied quietly, his dark eyes serious.

Sarah growled. "Alright. We are_not_ discussing this. Elliot, take a pill. Numair, don't be offended. The kind of crimes they investigate would make you throw up – they deal with children that've been victimized, and people that have been raped, it's their job to be wary. What they _don't_ understand," Sarah continued with a glare at the male detective, "Is that Daine can take care of herself, and if Numair ever, _ever_ hurt her, her parents would kill him."

Numair met Elliot's eyes. "Daine and I discussed the age barrier several times before we decided to even try with a relationship, and I'm glad I didn't pay attention to my fears that she would wake up and find an old man where her husband was meant to be. We have a beautiful daughter and a son on the way-"

"What?!" Sarah, Alanna and Wildcat all cried out. "Since when?" Sarah continued.

Numair blushed beet red. "And now she's going to kill me and my son will grow up without a father. We were going to invite everyone to dinner and tell you all there, and then announce it to the court when she began to show. Shall I join you, Sarah, jumping down the mine shaft?"

The younger knight grinned. "Nah, I think I'll sit around and wait for the Wildmage to explode. You_know_ you'll be sleeping in the stable for this, right?"

"Wildmage?" Cragen asked. The curious visitors had been replaced by wary cops.

Sarah glanced back at the earthlings, remembering the argument they had been on the verge of. "That's Daine's nickname. You might have noticed those; Alanna's the 'Lioness' because of her temper, Wildcat got that name because she's a Shang Master, and they all take names of either animals or mythical beasts. Her real name's Eda Bell. A friend of mine, Raoul, his nickname's 'Giantkiller'. Take a wild guess. Daine's nickname is Wildmage because she speaks to, can control and even turn into animals. She's also the only person who can tell, without fail, whether there are immortals nearby. As you might be able to imagine, she's quite capable of taking care of herself."

Huang decided to speak up. "Actually, more often than not, when a younger woman is seduced-"

"That's it. I'm taking you all home. Mithros, lift the goddamn spell you've got on me, cause I'll drain myself trying to punch through that damn barrier." Sarah growled. Mithros had put a kind of ban on her travelling – she couldn't teleport between Tortall and their version of Earth. "You can't just sit here and insult my friend like that. He would_die_ for Daine. Heck, from what I've heard he damn well nearly has, a couple of times, and her for him. Wait to hear the bloody facts before you make a judgment. Gods!"

Sarah threw up her hands and stood suddenly. "I'm going for a walk. I might get a start on those laps." She stormed out of the room, fuming, with several people staring after her.

"Well. I think I might follow her example. Excuse me." Numair stood quietly and walked out the room.

Alanna sighed. "You don't understand their relationship. I've never seen a man more devoted to his wife."

"Not even Cooper?" Wildcat asked with a smirk. A glare was Alanna's reply.

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Sarah panted as she hung off the training bag. She had been punching non stop, full strength and full speed for the past ten minutes. She put her fatigue down to the injuries she had sustained the night before and a lingering weakness from her excessive use of the Gift, not to any lack of recent fitness training. At least, that's what she would tell Wildcat if she stopped by.

"Upset?" A voice came from the door to the training room. Richard stood there; he elaborated. "Normally you change before you start beating on the bags. What happened after we left?"

Sarah scrubbed her face. "They have their minds in the gutters. They think Numair- they think he seduced Daine. And they all but accused him of being a molesting pervert, with him sitting right there! Gods, have they ever heard of manners?!" She swung around and punched the bag again, sending it swinging.

Her second in command sighed and moved over to an equipment cupboard, removing two sets of training padding and quarterstaffs. "I suppose you'll be feeling better if I let you beat up on me?"

Sarah snorted. "I don't think you want to make that offer, not when I'm this pissed off."

Richard didn't answer, instead he tossed the padding and a quarterstaff to her; she caught it easily with a sigh. "It's your funeral." She muttered, receiving a smirk in reply.

When they were suitably prepared and arranged against each other, Richard raised his quarterstaff, matching Sarah's stance. "Guard." He called, and Sarah launched an attack.

He blocked and countered; she parried before striking back, hitting him on the arm. Richard was a very well trained second in command, having come from twelve years in service to the king in the army, but he couldn't match up to a Shang, not even a trainee. They continued with the fight until another voice interrupted them from the doorway.

"This is what you do when you're upset?" George Huang asked, filing the information away for future reference.

Sarah had gained the upperhand; she didn't let the psychiatrist's appearance distract her as she bit out her reply, striking with each word. "What- makes- you- think- I'm- upset?"

With the final word she extended her arm, swinging it around to hit Richard's back as she drew even with him. His breath left him with an _oomph_ and he rolled forward with the hit, stopping several yards away. She walked forward and offered him a hand up. "Sorry, Rich. You alright?"

"That's what the padding's for." He grunted as he stood, straightening with a wince. "I think I'll call it a day. Maybe see your friend the Lioness." He walked stiffly out the door, clipping George's shoulder on the way out. Sarah would have grinned, were it any other circumstance.

The psychiatrist looked almost interested at the gesture, not annoyed. "You have many people in your life that jump to defend you, even that Wildcat woman. After you left she told us that we were new here, and if we cared to venture our opinions to anyone else about Master Salmalin's relationship with Daine, or upset you again in such a manner, she would eviscerate us and make sure we were never found."

Picking up a towel from a bench, Sarah wiped her face and winced as her leg screamed. She'd been able to ignore the pain, pushing it to one side as she sparred, but now that there was no adrenalin, no blood pumping, it was harder to ignore. Sitting heavily on the bench, she patted the seat beside her. "Come sit down, George. Let me explain something. Here, friendship means a lot. Wildcat is a friend of mine, despite the first impression I'm sure she made on you. A great friend, actually, which I'm surprised about, considering the way we met."

She took a breath. "And so is Numair. I know, in your line of work, that it'll be hard for you to accept the fact that the man started dating Daine when she was sixteen, and he was twenty eight. But the fact of the matter is, they love each other, and I know in your shrinky little head that probably means he manipulated her into being his sex slave. But you have no idea the hardships they've both been through, separately and together. You remember how you all reacted when I told you about my life? It is _nothing_ compared to what they've been through._Nothing._ And those kinds of things bring people closer together. Daine's more grown up than you'd expect; she has been for longer than she should have."

"Why?" George was easy to talk to, Sarah realised, and she could see how he would make a good psychiatrist.

"Because of her past. But they aint my secrets to tell, so don't go pryin'." Sarah replied firmly.

"Alright." He replied amiably, which partly made her annoyed. "I've noticed you've slipped into slang twice so far, but you speak normally most of the time."

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "There isn't much you don't notice, is there? I spend a bit of time in the Lower City, and not everyone there uses proper grammar. I like to blend, so I speak in slang when I'm there. Sometimes I like to skip words to get what I'm saying out quicker."

He finally asked the question the SVU team had been wanting answered since they'd met her. "Are you happy with your life here?"

"Sometimes. But then, that's the way life is, you can't be happy all the time. At least, not until you enter the Peaceful Realms, and I don't plan on doing _that_ until I'm old and grey." Sarah answered. "There will always be times where my life sucks beyond measure, but that's the way it is with everyone's lives. And there are times where it couldn't be better, where I can't believe how lucky I've gotten, how my friends… they're more like my family now."

George regarded her closely. "Casey told me your mother threw you out when you returned to your version of Earth."

Sarah's eyes closed tiredly as she scrubbed her face and stood. "Interview's over, George. You're good at the distraction thing; I forgot I was mad at you all for the way you treated Numair. Come on, I have things that need taking care of, and I'd rather you weren't underfoot." She stopped her advance on the door and shook her head. "And now I'm a hypocrite, after being underfoot for most of this week."

Before she could step through the door a man in Conte blue with the royal seal on his tunic appeared and bowed. He was a royal messenger, and as she returned the bow he passed her a letter sealed with wax. "His Majesty sends his requests for your presence at the fourth Midwinter ball."

When he turned and left at Sarah's scowl, she ripped the letter over it and skimmed over it. "Damnit Jon." She muttered. "This is _not_ the time for a game of best Messenger."

"Sarah?" George questioned. "What was in the letter?"

"Well, it seems the Tyran ambassador wants to believe that Tortall is a ripe fruit fit for picking, his Majesty wants me there to show that Tortall still has the support of the Gods, and Tusaine is a good example of why _not_ to attack a country with the support of the Gods. Excuse me." She held out a hand and summoned crimson magic in a summoning. When a voice appeared from the flames that licked at her palm, George watched with interest.

"Sarah, how nice it is to hear from you. Did you resolve your issue for the Gods?" The voice sounded cheerful, quite the contrast to the clipped tones Sarah was speaking with.

"Yes, Majesty. I would like a pardon from your request." She didn't waste time with her appeal.

"Sarah-" He began, and she cut him off.

"Jon. I have thirty raiders being held here that I need to accompany to Corus and seven people from Earth that I will not leave by themselves while I play court games." Sarah replied with a slightly irate voice.

"The Tyrans are getting antsy. They've been making veiled threats about our favour with the Gods, and they've been hinting at war." He answered. "I'll dispatch two Rider groups to aid with the transfer of the raiders. Why don't you bring your friends with you?"

"They can't ride horses, Jon." Sarah replied dryly.

"So hitch a carriage, Sarah." He answered in the same tone.

"Right. So you want me to travel with seven defenceless people who can't ride horses and thus can't escape quickly if, say, a raider group attacks, during raiding season, in an area where raiders have been active. I won't travel with Guardsmen, Jon. They're needed here, and I can protect myself. I'd just rather I didn't have to protect seven others." Sarah replied.

"Would you rather I sent_three_ Rider groups, the extra one for your protection?" If Sarah didn't know better, she would think he was mocking her.

"Don't take that tone with me, Jon. This is _not_ the time. And you don't want this lot at court," She slid a glance at George, who was watching impassively. "It'll be like my first ball, but seven times as bad. Chances are Tyra will go to war with us anyway, for the insult."

"It can't be _that_ bad, Sarah." Jon sounded amused.

"Noooo… instead they'll get challenged to duels." Sarah replied snarkily.

"No worse than you. Are these the law enforcers from last night?" He asked. "Because I assumed they'd know how to handle weapons."

"You don't want them duelling with guns, Jon." Sarah replied with an eyeroll at George.

"That's right…" He sounded distracted. "I forgot you mentioned law enforcers there don't use swords or quarterstaffs. No, I suppose I'd rather they didn't shoot my knights. You'd simply have to duel in their place." It was his big gun, Sarah knew. It was his best shot at getting her there without having to make it a royal _order,_ not a request. It was basically an invitation for a free-for-all between her and the Conservatives, if she so decided.

Without thinking, she answered. "I couldn't handle all those duels. You'd have to let Alanna take some." Then she swore. She'd just promised to attend, in her own way. "Damnit Jon! You're as manipulative as Mithros, when you want to be. I don't think this is a good idea."

"Is Wildcat still there? She could accompany you, if you'd rather I didn't send a babysitter to make sure you arrived on time." Jon sounded to be on the verge of laughter.

"Oh, shut up, _Majesty_. Yes she's still here, sure she could accompany us, _if_ you want to torture me, but I'd wager I won't be fit for a ball by the time I get there. She'll have me running ahead of the carriages, or doing laps as it moves, or something. She wasn't very happy with my little stunt." Sarah blew out a sigh.

"Not many of us were, Sarah. You could have been killed." His voice returned to a serious tone as he said that. "So it's settled. You'll bring your friends and have Wildcat escort you. Oh, and tell Numair to accompany you, the Tyran mages weren't very impressed by his disappearing act last night. See you in a few days."

He cut off at his end of the spell, no matter how much she tried to raise him, she couldn't get an answer. "Damnit!" She balled a fist before breathing in and out a couple of times. She turned to George, speaking tightly. "Come on. If I raise him again, he'll just make it a royal order, and I'll be forced to dance with a Tyran." She screwed up her nose. "I'll try Mithros again, see whether I can't get you lot home. Come on, we need to tell the others."

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"So basically, I can suck up to Mithros, which'll probably get me sent on a mission at some really inopportune time, but it'll get you home, you can stay here, or you can come with me to Corus. Time's still stopped, so that's not an issue." Sarah spoke while she leant against the door, her arms crossed against her chest. "I don't have any choice in the matter; I've been ordered to attend the Midwinter balls."

"I thought you said your attendance stopped wars." Casey frowned in confusion.

"Doesn't mean I want to stand around and dance with the Tyran ambassador. He can't dance. He steps on my feet, and I'm pretty sure he does it on purpose." Sarah replied, keeping the whine from her voice, regardless of how she felt about the situation.

"Why don't you just duel him?" Elliot asked snidely.

"Because his Majesty banned me from duelling foreign ambassadors unless _they_ challenge _me_." Sarah retorted. "Look, just letting you know, if you decide to come to Corus you'll be travelling by carriage, and Numair'll be joining us. I've orders to bring him along, as well, to distract the Tyran mages. So you'll have to learn to get along."

"George said you think we'll get you in trouble." Cragen's statement wasn't a question.

Sarah barked a humourless laugh. "Yeah, probably a fair bit too. Don't worry, if you decided to come I'd need to buy you all court clothes; if you get me into trouble it'll more than pay for the clothes, the amount of money I'll get for the duels."

"You're pretty confident in your abilities to fight." Munch spoke evenly, with one raised eyebrow. "What makes you think you can win all those duels?"

Sarah laughed. "There isn't a Conservative at court that can beat me with a sword, and the Progressives are mostly my friends; they won't duel me. We might have a friendly _match_, but even then, most of the Progressives aren't as good as me with a sword. And since _I'll_ be the one challenged, I'll be choosing to use a sword, not a different weapon."

"So you'll be risking your life-" Sarah cut Casey off.

"It's not that dangerous. Anyone experienced enough with a sword to come close to beating me is also experienced enough to stop before they connect if they have a killing blow. But really, I'm not a normal knight, I'm a Shang in training too. If I begin to lose a duel, I'll pull out the Shang moves. And the people from my last mission have taught me a bit of sword work that'll put any Tortallan off guard. But we're off the point. Let me know your answer by the second bell after sun- I mean, eight am tomorrow morning, and if you want to come I'll have bags packed for you. If you need to talk to me, just summon a maid; there's always one walking around somewhere, and their living quarters are just down the hall, at the end. If you want anything, they'll get it for you."

Elliot crossed his arms across his chest, leaning back against the table. "I didn't see you as the type of person to keep maids and servants."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "They were here before I took control of the fief. What, you think I'd kick them out of a job? I offered to have them taught a trade, but like I've said, time and again, things are different here. They enjoy their jobs, and they get paid twice the going rate for a maid, so I really don't see the problem-"

"It's subservience." He insisted.

"It's like hiring a janitor, or a cook! Is _that_ subservience? How would it be, if you couldn't solve any of your cases because you were too busy mopping the toilet floor?" Sarah countered, staring him down. "You work for Captain Cragen, is _that_ subservience? He works for the police commissioner, is _that_ subservience? It's just a job. Tell you what, why don't you invite one of the maids in and ask _her_ about it. Get George to shrink her. But right now, there's some supply logistics I need to take care of. I'll speak with you later." She turned and left, before she got angry. It wouldn't do well to yell at people she couldn't permanently avoid, not twice in one day.

TBC…


	9. Chapter 8

A/n. Thanks so much to Kelly of the Midnight Dawn, who has a LOT of great SVU stories, as well as Orohippus, who has read all of my 'She Walked Upon A Cloud' stories, even the series he? She? Damned internet… hasn't got any interest in, for all of the reviews. And thank you to Pacey'sWGirl for the reviews as well! Anyone else is welcome to review, I have room in my heart for all of you, I swear!!!

Chapter 8:

"So, what are we going to do?" Casey asked after Sarah had left.

"I think we should do what she said." Elliot began mulishly. "Get a maid and interview her. Something's not on the level here. I don't like it; it's too much like slavery."

"She said she pays them twice what the other maids in this country earn." Casey pointed out. For some reason she had an urge to defend the girl; perhaps because she had spent the most time with her.

"And how much is that?" Elliot retorted. "A pittance? No, I think we _should_ interview a maid. Munch, go fetch one."

"Now who's treating people like slaves?" Casey muttered as the oldest detective left the room, returning with a young woman wearing a plain cotton shift in green.

"My lords, my ladies, what can I do for you?" The young girl curtseyed and her eyes darted around the room, betraying pent up energy.

"Actually, we just wanted a chat." Elliot patted a chair. "Have a seat."

The maid shook her head. "My apologies, my lord, but I cannot. I must do my duty, and I cannot sit while a noble stands."

"That's okay," George was amiable as he spoke. "We aren't nobles. But we'll sit if it'll make you more comfortable." And they all did. "So, how do you like your job?"

"Lady Sarah is an excellent liege lord." The young woman was nervous, her eyes kept darting to the door, looking for an escape.

"But do you like being a maid?" Olivia rephrased the question.

"Tis my job, my lady, and tis a good job." The maid seemed confused by the question.

"What's your name?" Olivia asked, joining in the interrogation.

"Natalia, my lady." The young maid answered.

"Natalia, do you enjoy your job?"

"It is a good job, my lady." There was a hint of hesitation, however, when she answered.

"But is it the job you want to do?" George asked.

"Yes." Immediately she changed her mind. "No. I want to be a Queen's Rider. I can read, and I'm learning to ride a horse in my spare time…"

"Did you tell Sarah?" Elliot asked, contempt in his voice.

"Oh, no, my lord! She'd surely scorn me, all the nobles do. I'm too talkative, they say. I'd never make a good Rider, they say. Rider's need to be quiet, they say. Besides, it's improper for a woman to bear arms-" She was cut off by a larger, older woman bustling through the door.

"You're a fool, Natalia. Sarah bears arms, so you're insulting your liege lord, to begin with. And she would support you in your choice, if she knew of it. And I _know_ she told you to call her by her first name, like she has the rest of us." The newcomer raised an eyebrow, folding her arms across her chest.

"Tis improper. I'll not call a member of the nobility by her first name!" Natalia protested.

The older maid turned to the confused earthlings. "Forgive her, my lords, my ladies. She's only young, and new to these parts. She came in with the last refugee group Sarah welcomed, and isn't used to the way things work here. She was a maid to the nobles at fief Mandesh, but unfortunately raiders managed to penetrate Mandesh's defences and killed them all. Natalia here travelled the countryside for weeks before finding her way here."

"T'was terrible." The young maid's eyes were wide with fear. "They broke in, and when they found my lord and my ladies…" She broke off suddenly, biting her lip.

The larger maid steered her gently towards the door, closing it behind her. "You chose the wrong maid to interrogate."

"Who said anything about interrogation?" Elliot narrowed his eyes, leaning back in his chair with his hands folded against his chest.

"I'm hired to listen at keyholes when there are new visitors and refugees. She prob'ly meant to tell me you were off limits, like all her friends, but the orders never graced my ears so I do my job. The name's Kerri."

"She has spies?" That didn't seem to be calming Stabler down.

"She has sp_y_." A voice corrected from the doorway. "And she has told said _spy_ that she is to leave _my_ visitors to their own devices. I brought them here, Kerri, so what are you doing skulking around their doorway?"

"I figured since it wasn't _you_ that brought them, but rather Mithros himself, you'd want me to make sure they were on the level." Kerri didn't seem apologetic in the slightest.

Sarah pointed to the doorway. "Out." She commanded, and the woman bowed.

"As my lady wishes." She replied with a wicked grin. "I'll have my report on your desk in two hours."

"And I'll burn it. Go, and don't let me see you at this doorway again." When the woman walked through the door she called after her, "And stay away from Alanna!"

A noncommittal reply floated back to them, and Sarah growled.

"You have spies." Elliot repeated, glaring at her.

"She was here when I got here. And I made an agreement with His Majesty's spymaster; either she stays or another spy takes her place, and I won't necessarily know who the other spy is. That's the way it is with influential people in this country; someone has to keep us out of trouble. She keeps an eye on the place, and she's caught two spies that I never would have noticed, so she earns her keep. And I honestly don't care what you have to say on the subject, because unless she _does_ spy on Alanna, she'll be staying here." Sarah answered.

"So if she spies on your friend you'll get rid of her, but you won't because she spied on us?" Elliot pressed, standing now, trying to intimidate her.

"She spies on everyone. And it won't be _me_ to get rid of her; it'll be the spymaster. I'm here because I forgot to ask whether you want dinner here, or in the dining hall." Sarah's face dared him to bring the topic back to spies.

Cragen intervened, answering for everyone. "Perhaps here would be best."

Sarah nodded. "I'll send some maids up with food later. Excuse me."

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Sitting at her desk, Sarah stared at the paper before her in distaste. _Why did I say I was going to do supply logistics? I know they need doing, but they're just so boring!_ She sighed as she picked up a quill and began her work. _The sooner I get it over with, the sooner I can find something more interesting to do – like watch grass grow._

When she had sorted through an order for more medical supplies for the infirmary, she began an order for more weapons for the fief's guardsmen. The winter of raider attacks had depleted their supplies; while she was working she slipped in an order for a new broadsword, for her personal collection.

Sarah didn't notice the figure standing at her doorway until she cleared her throat. Glancing up, she sighed in resignation. "Come in Casey, have a seat." Setting her quill down, she set the papers aside to let them dry, and folded her hands on the desk. "What can I do for you?"

The attorney looked around the room with an eyebrow raised as she took the offered seat. "You're a puzzle, you know that? The first impression we got of you was of some kid who was in way over her head. And then when things started happening, and you didn't panic, even when Elliot slammed you against the wall, I thought we got a glimpse of who you really are. Someone in control, older than they looked, who could handle themself. Of course, when your friends came along and started berating you for getting caught by raiders…"

"You'll find most of Tortall holds me by the second image. My friends know me by the third." Sarah spoke dryly. "The raider incident wasn't the stupidest thing I've ever done."

Casey raised an eyebrow. "What was?"

"I believe it involved a spaceship with failing life support, the temperature dropping quickly, and three enviro suits. The only problem was, there were four of us." Sarah explained with a wry grin.

"So you went without." Casey elaborated, her face unreadable.

"It was that or ask one of the kids to." Sarah answered. "They were kidnapped, and me with them. Two seven year olds and a five year old. We kind of… picked a lemon when we escaped. It had just got back from some kind of fire fight, so it was really heavily damaged. I didn't remember, until it was _much_ too late, that I'd seen someone carrying an enviro suit off the ship."

"That's a pretty big mistake to make." Casey commented, a grin on her face.

"Yep. But I had ignorance as an excuse. I was only new to that dimension, and I had no idea about the standard inventory of a spaceship." Sarah defended herself.

"Alright, alright, I'll take your word for it." Casey's grin faded. "I'm not going to lie to you, Sarah. None of us are quite willing to accept Numair's relationship with a girl who was that young when he began dating her. But we've all decided to lay off of him for the trip to Corus, and when we meet Daine we'll get a better idea of the situation. It might be as you said; things might be different here, and it could be a completely innocent relationship. But we've all seen too much-"

"I understand." Sarah interrupted softly. "I don't think I could imagine doing your job, day in and day out. It's bad enough on the odd occasion when you walk in on a raider's leftovers. Or worse-" Her eyes darkened. "A Spidren's."

Casey frowned at her expression. "What's a Spidren?"

"A gigantic spider with a human head." When Casey shuddered, Sarah continued. "They'll capture people, and… you don't want to hear the details. Suffice to say, we don't find much left of them. Kris, stop skulking at the door. If those are reports you want me to read, bring them in." The clerk appeared at the entrance, a guilty look on his face.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation." He apologized as he passed the sheets over, and Sarah spotted farming reports with a grimace.

"Nonsense, it was turning down a dark path, anyway. What, no more letters of complaint from the Gardiner twins? Don't tell me they've given up on their dreams to be guardsmen for the great fief Greenstone?" She asked, sarcastic.

Kris grinned. "Oh, no, you had three letters from them. I read them and decided you didn't need to be bothered with them. They are currently decorating the bottom of my fireplace."

Sarah snorted. "You've been hanging around me too much. But thanks, the last thing I want to read right now is another veiled insult that a man would let them train as guardsmen."

"Why don't you let these twins train?" Casey asked.

"They're twelve." Sarah answered blandly. "Old enough to train in other parts of the country, but not here."

"Okay then." She glanced at Kris, and Sarah got the message.

"Kris, could you give us some privacy?" She asked, looking pointedly to the door. "I'll talk to you later."

He bowed and left. When they were alone, Casey grimaced. "Munch was worried about travelling in a carriage through the countryside. He was wondering how long it was going to take, and why we couldn't ride horses. Not that he'd ever actually ask you; but I figured I might as well while I'm here."

Sarah laughed. She had been afraid it was something worse. "Well, if you want me to give you a crash course on horse riding, by all means I will. I can scrounge together enough horses for us each to ride one, but trust me, a carriage will be more comfortable for people first learning to ride. It'll take a bit more than a day, maybe. It only takes me half to ride, but there's no way city kids like yourselves will be able to match me'n Topaz." She chuckled. "I would expect you'd be able to make it in oh… maybe by the late afternoon. _Maybe_."

Casey nodded and stood. Sarah joined her. "Are you going to see the others?" At her nod, Sarah walked around her desk. "I'll join you, if you'd like, and send a maid up with dinner."

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"Horses?" Elliot choked out. "You want us to _ride_?"

Sarah shrugged. "Only if you want to. If you want to try and ride in the morning, but can't manage, that'll be fine, I'll hitch a carriage and the worst case scenario, I put _all_ the horses to pulling the carriage and we get some real speed out of it." She grinned at the idea before shaking her head. "Then again, I don't think that'd be the wisest idea. Tell you what, why don't we get some horses saddled; we still have a couple of hours of daylight left. You can try it out, see whether you all like it. If you don't, heck, it'll take me ten minutes to hitch a carriage to a couple of sturdy horses. By the way, I'm glad you're coming. Casey looked formidable enough, arguing with Wildcat, to provide good protection."

"You're scared of her." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Sarah was getting sick of the way George Huang was looking at her.

"Hell yes. She could kick my ass halfway to Carthak. I spent the first five and a half months here training day in, day out, getting up at dawn or earlier and getting to bed at near enough to midnight, and half of my training was with Wildcat. I know what'll happen when my leg heals up, and I doubt I'll be able to walk the next day." Sarah replied, gesturing them out the door and down the stairs at the entrance to the tower.

"Does she beat you?" George asked, and Sarah groaned.

"No. Gods no. She doesn't hit me past sparring, and even then I get a few good thumps in." Halfway down the steps, she stopped and met their gazes evenly. "There's something you need to understand. I'm not a victim. If I introduce someone as my friend, it's because they treat me with respect, and they deserve my respect. And I don't think-"

"We understand." Casey cut her off firmly, nudging George into silence. "We'll stop our fishing expedition, won't we, _Doctor."_

He watched Sarah closely, examining her annoyed and bored expression before nodding. Sarah continued in silence until they reached the stables. "I won't bother teaching you how to curry a horse or prepare them for riding. If you decide to ride, me'n Numair'll take care of the tack."

After gesturing a couple of stablehands over, she quickly explained that she wanted seven of the gentler mares tacked and ready for riding, before making her way to the stall Topaz occupied, dragging a heavy saddle off of the wall.

When the horses were ready, she led them out with the aid of the stablehands and grinned. "Alright, mount up." And she swung up into the saddle with ease. At their dumbstruck expressions, she laughed. "Stand next to the horse, put your foot in the stirrup, and swing yourself up and over. Or do you want me to get a step ladder, to make it easier for you?"

Stabler, to his credit, didn't flounder too much when he mounted the honey-gold mare he had chosen. Neither did Olivia, George or Fin. Munch and Cragen had a spot of trouble, having to attempt at least three times before sitting upright on the beasts of burden, daring anyone to laugh at them. The Captain of the SVU glared at the older detective. "I'm blaming you for suggesting this."

"I'll hitch a carriage for you in the morning, Captain, if it'll make you feel- Casey, are you alright?" The attorney was hanging in the saddle, her right foot half over the saddle, in a precarious position.

She was red in the face; the angle of her left leg made it impossible for her to free it from the stirrup. "Yep. Fine." She replied to Sarah's question tightly.

The stablehands retreated into the stable at an imperious glare from Sarah. When they had, she could hear laughter emerging from the wooden building, something she was trying desperately hard not to do herself. She dismounted with a sigh and a pat to Topaz before moving over to the troubled attorney. "You have to do it all in one shot. A quick jump, and you swing your leg _all_ the way over." She gave her a quick shove, righting her in the saddle before trotting back to Topaz and remounting.

"Right, grab the reins. This won't be like the movies, don't dig your heels into your horse's side to steer them, and don't pull hard on the reins. You do that and you'll never ride one of my horses again, got it?" At their confused looks she sighed. "These horses are smart. They'll toss you if you hurt them, and dragging on the reins and digging into their sides hurts a lot."

"So how do we direct them then?" Olivia asked, watching her blankly.

"You nudge them. With your knees, and gently. These horses know all about riding with inexperienced passengers; I use them to train guardsmen new to travelling by hoof. They'll go where you want them to. Go ahead, tell them to 'trot'." Then she kneed Topaz into motion, cantering around the group.

"What do you mean, tell them to trot?" Elliot asked, and almost fell off when his mare began to move. "Whoa!"

Sarah smirked. "Like I said, I use these horses to train guardsmen. The first thing they learn is how to stay on a horse; Daine tells the horses to respond to us 'two-leggers' commands, so the inexperienced riders don't resort to painful methods."

"That's more than a trot." Olivia pointed to Topaz, who was still cantering, and held on tight when her horse began to move.

"I don't use the commands; never have. This is just a crash course, when I learnt it was a proper training course, where I learnt how to tack my horse properly before I even got to ride her. I learnt how to ride her properly; in a fight or a situation like the kinds I find myself in, commands just aren't good enough. You've got to move instinctively, you and your horse become like one creature, not two separate beings. And by the way, this is called a canter."

"A canter-" Casey made the mistake of repeating the word, and almost fell out of the saddle as a result of the brisk pace her horse set out at.

"Also, to stop, just say 'stop'." She said dryly, and laughed when the woman all but screamed the word. "Alrighty then. Everyone, let's try this again. Say 'trot'. Pretty soon you'll be doing this." And she set off in a gallop, bent low over Topaz's neck to reduce wind resistance, grinning like a madwoman as she led the warhorse in a jump over the fence. They did a lap around the tower, and when they returned Sarah was looking windswept, if not content.

"_That_ felt good, didn't it Topaz?" The mare whickered in agreement.

"You do that often?" Casey looked appalled at the idea of travelling that quickly on a horse.

"Every morning that I get the chance. Sometimes me'n Topaz'll go for a day trip, and just gallop until lunch time. Then we stop, and I pull out a couple of sandwiches for myself and a bag of oats for Topaz, and sit down for a spell under the blue sky and just… _enjoy_. It's so peaceful out there in the meadows, just me and my horse…" She gave Topaz a fond pat before looking up into the watchful eyes of the psychiatrist. "What is it this time?"

He seemed to learn his lesson from the previous interrogations, and kept his ideas to himself. "Nothing."

"Good. Now, are you going to try trotting?" She asked, and they each tried the slow pace, with varying levels of success. She dismounted and moved among the earthlings, coaching them where possible. "Olivia, relax. Being so stiff in the saddle won't work, trust me. Casey, ease up on the reins. You're holding them way too tight. Damnit Munch, don't do that!"

He was standing in the saddle, trying to get a look at the saddle's fastenings, a frown on his face. She rushed over to him quickly, even as he said, "This saddle feels a little loose." Sarah grabbed the reins and forced the horse to stop, even as he collapsed back into the saddle. She helped him dismount and inspected the horse, before her face grew as dark as a thunder storm. "Wait here."

She led the mare into the stables, and beckoned for the stablehands to line up in front of her. "Which of you tacked this horse?" The others had dismounted clumsily and followed her into the barn. A timid young man, no older than fifteen, stepped forward.

"I did, Lady Sarah." He replied meekly, and cool, emerald eyes glared at him from beneath the thundercloud on her face.

"You're fired." She turned and adjusted the black roan's saddle, tightening it in three separate places before turning back to the boy. Sarah then moved back outside, where the other horses were waiting patiently, and checked them over. The others were all tacked properly.

"Sarah, it was an honest mistake-" She cut off Munch's objections with an angry look.

"In a battle between evenly matched opponents, there's one thing that decides who wins, and who loses. And that's equipment. He would have saddled at least five people's horses in preparation for the raider attack earlier; that could have been five people _dead_ because they were riding on a dangerously saddled horse. That kind of mistake gets you fired." Sarah walked over to Topaz, who nuzzled her affectionately. "I'm glad I don't let the ostlers touch _you_. I can only imagine the saddle sores you'd have."

"Why do you talk to her like she understands you?" Casey had approached from behind her.

"She does. Isn't it obvious, by the fact that you can tell a horse to move, and it will, that animals are different here? Daine did that, but I'll have to get Numair to explain it. Something about her intelligence wearing off on them all." Sarah replied, and as she turned to look to the fence, she noticed the man watching silently. "And here he is! Been watching long, Numair?" She asked with a wicked grin, and he unwittingly returned it.

"Long enough. The maids sent me to ask when you wanted dinner, where and what you wanted."

"Why did they send you?" She asked as she trotted to the fence, so she wouldn't have to yell.

"I was-" Alanna interrupted him with her arrival.

"He was sulking in the kitchen. So the kitchen maid banished him." She surveyed the others as they tried mounting their horses. "Gods, what is ADA Novak _doing_?" She choked back a laugh as Sarah sighed in dismay.

"I believe she's trying to mount a horse. I'm trying to teach them how to ride. I've been ordered back to court, and you with me, Numair. I'm to bring them, and they wanted to see how hard it was to ride a horse before I went and hitched a carriage." She noticed Numair's face close off, and she patted his shoulder. "They're going to lay off until they get to Corus and meet Daine. You shouldn't take it personally; the kinds of cases they work on…" She shuddered, a grimace on her face. "Anyway, we've both been ordered back. I don't know about you, Alanna, but Jon more or less promised us a free-for-all with the Conservatives if we showed up, and I'd be glad to share the fun…"

She looked wistful for a moment, before shaking her head. "I'll follow in a few days, if you don't mind housing the Second company of the Own until we leave. They've earnt the rest."

Sarah nodded. "Looking for me when I was no where to be found? They sure have." She turned to the earthlings. "When do you lot want dinner?"

Elliot and Cragen quickly dismounted, holding their horses by the reins. "I'm finished now." The senior detective said quickly, and his Captain agreed.

Sarah grinned. "So you'll be travelling by carriage, then?"

TBC..


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

They assembled at dawn, the earthlings rubbing their eyes tiredly, Sarah had just finished tossing the packs with their food and extra clothes in the back of the wagon, and she had turned to finish hitching the carriage when Wildcat threw her pack on the pile. "What, they aren't riding?" She smirked at the earthlings, and Sarah chuckled.

"Nah, but they can try riding Topaz if they want to practice." She replied, and pulled a knot tight before gently backing the two beasts of burdens into place and attaching the carriage to their saddles. "Alright, is everyone ready?" At their nods, Sarah gestured. "Climb aboard. Wildcat, d'you wanna drive, or shall I?"

"I feel like riding properly." The Shang replied, and mounted her own horse, Slip. "You can steer."

Sarah bounded up the steps on the carriage as the others climbed on through the back. There was a sun shade, but the sides had been rolled up to allow the air to flow. Though it was winter, the air was decidedly still, and Sarah knew from first hand experience how much a carriage without proper airflow could smell when there were more than a couple of people within. Numair got into position behind the packhorse on the wagon, and Sarah gave Richard and Kris, who had turned out to see them off, a sloppy salute.

"See you when his Majesty is through dressing me up and marching me around. Don't let the Gardiner twins get into the weapons' stores again." She grinned as Richard scowled.

"Those two are going the right way for a smack on the head." He muttered, but Sarah heard him.

"Don't be afraid to threaten chamberpot duty. It always works when I say it." She turned the carriage without another word and pointed the horses towards the path at a brisk trot. Calling to Wildcat, who was trotting ahead of her, she smirked. "Wanna help me think up insults? I gotta get them _just_ right, for entertainment value."

"You shouldn't waste your time dueling the Conservatives." Wildcat admonished. "It's not improving your skills at all."

Sarah shrugged. "Hey, it's easy money, and his Majesty won't be able to do a _thing_. He more or less promised me a free run at all the Conservatives, and I intend to hold him to that promise. Besides," She grinned her evil grin, "It's fun."

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"Alright, everyone off. It's lunch time." Sarah pulled the horses to the side of the road, and Numair followed suit with the wagon. When she climbed off the carriage and unhitched the horses, she moved to pull a pack full of oats off the wagon, and Casey intercepted her.

"Would you mind if I tried riding Topaz this afternoon?" The attorney got straight to the point.

Sarah spared a glance at her horse, who was pawing at the ground impatiently, waiting for her lunch. "Sure, go nuts. Give me a minute, I'll feed the horses and deal with lunch and when we set off we'll get you on top Topaz." With a grunt she lifted the heavy bag of oats, dropping it in front of the pack horses and opening it. She jumped back quickly, to avoid being slobbered on, and gave Topaz and the carriage horses the same treatment.

Then she pulled down a pack full of human food and set it out for lunch. "Grubs up! Dig in; if you need the toilet there's a bush over there…" Sarah trailed off and grinned at their expressions, before picking a piece of jerky and munching happily.

When lunch was finished she palmed a couple of apples and passed them off to the horses, before hitching the horses back to the carriage. She waited until the detectives, Captain Cragen and Huang had returned to the carriage before helping Casey mount Topaz. "Relax. Topaz will give you a nice, easy ride." The horse nodded, as though agreeing, and Sarah grinned.

The horse gave the attorney a gentle ride, and after an hour Olivia was looking contemplative. After yet another glance backwards, Sarah got sick of the female detective staring at her horse. "If you want a go, by all means, just tell me. Topaz will be happy to help you learn to ride."

The detective glanced sidelong at the knight, before shrugging. "I thought you said those horses we rode yesterday were good for learning on."

"They are. But Topaz is just… well, she's Topaz. The best horse a girl could ask for. So do you want a shot?" When Olivia nodded, she held up a closed fist to tell Wildcat, Numair and Topaz to stop, before stepping down from the carriage. "Olivia wants a shot on Topaz, if you don't mind."

Casey shook her head and relinquished the reins, swinging her leg over and clumsily dismounting. "No, no that's fine. You were right; Topaz is an easier ride. But I don't think I'll ever be able to ride as well as you can."

Sarah grinned as she beckoned Olivia over. "Nonsense. It just takes practice. You don't even_want_ to know how bad I was to begin with."

"I've heard some horror stories." Numair added from his position on the wagon; it was the first word he had spoken to the earthlings all day.

"Daine taught me." Sarah explained with a wry grin. "Up you go, Detective. Casey, d'you want to learn how to guide a carriage?"

"No." Was her quick reply, and she moved to the back of the carriage, where she joined the other earthlings. Before Sarah returned to her position steering, she palmed a handful of sugar and fed it to Topaz.

"What's that for?" Olivia asked, and Sarah's smile widened.

"A bribe. Let's get moving, shall we? There's still a few hours of daylight left, and I want to be at the bank of Quick Creek by the time we camp – it's a creek that runs parallel to the road for a few miles."

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They were settling for camp at the bank of the creek when Sarah cocked her head and gestured for silence. Wildcat frowned and listened closely also. "What did you hear?" She whispered, and Sarah frowned.

"I'm not sure. Probably just a stray marten or two. I'll catch us some dinner, if you want to start the rice." Sarah was still frowning as she gathered the fishing line, and trotted to the creek.

When she returned it was with three plump trout, which she quickly cleaned and spitted, placing them above the fire to cook them, before turning to Numair. "The latrine dug?"

"Yep."

"Anyone looked over the horses yet?" She asked.

"No, I figured you'd want to do that, but I did unhitch them. I'll look after dinner, if you want to do it now." He answered.

She grinned. "You just don't want burnt food."

He ruffled her hair. "Guilty as charged."

Scowling, she pulled away and tried to fix her hair, before turning to Topaz, only to find Casey feeding her an apple. "Careful, you'll spoil her."

The attorney looked up, startled, before blushing. "I'm sorry, I-"

Sarah shook her head. "Don't be. A spoilt horse is a happy horse." She grinned as the mare in question blew in Casey's face. "And she likes you."

Wiping a bit of spittle off her cheek, the attorney grimaced. "How can you tell?"

"That's the way a horse introduces herself. Go ahead, blow back in her face. I'm serious." The attorney grimaced before complying, and Topaz nuzzled her affectionately.

Sarah left Topaz to make friends with Casey, tending to the other horses before returning to tend to her warhorse. Half way through the grooming, another twig cracked in the woods off of their camp, and Sarah paused, a frown on her face. She noticed Topaz was trembling with fear, and clenched her teeth._Stupid._ She thought viciously. _How did I let this happen?_

She quietly got Numair's attention. "There's something out there, and it's spooking the horses."

He glanced over Topaz's flank, before gritting his teeth. "What do you think it is?"

"Immortals would be my bet. Humans don't scare Topaz." She whispered in reply. "They probably think we're an easy meal. Do you think you can raise a shield in one shot, or do you need to set markers?"

"I could raise the shield right now, but it would take a lot of power. It'd be better if we could get set markers…" He trailed off.

"You got any gems or crystals?" She questioned, comforting Topaz as best she could.

He reached into his pocket and slipped a couple into her pocket using the sleight of hand he had once used to sustain himself on the streets of Corus. "You get the other side of the horses and the left of camp; I'll take the far side and the right and tell Wildcat what's going on. If anything happens I can still raise the shield quickly."

Sarah raised her voice, loud enough to be heard throughout the camp. "So you're on. I'll teach you how to play poker after dinner, and I'll take you for all you're worth."

He laughed, a throaty laugh, and moved across the camp, past the fire and to the latrine, where he bent over, as though redigging it, and dropped his gem. Sarah moved around the other side of the horses, gave them all a quick pat, and dropped her first gem just beyond the tack. Then she walked slowly, casually towards the earthlings. "Would you all do me a favour and move closer to the fire?" She met each of their gazes firmly before nodding to the blaze. She dropped her last gem where they had been sitting. Numair was speaking quietly to Wildcat. She caught his eye and nodded.

Numair gave the Shang a pat on the back and they both approached the fireplace. Sarah tried for a nonchalant tone. "So, how about that poker?"

A couple of things happened at once. Numair raised a hand, the protections sparkled around the camp. And three creatures collided painfully, with loud _cracks_, against the now sparkling black shield. "What the hell?!" Elliot yelled, standing quickly.

"Holy shit." Fin added when he saw the giant spider with a human head swearing.

"Stay calm." Sarah said dryly, moving to the packhorse quickly and pulling out a crossbow and a quiver full of bolts. "Well hello ugly, and what can I do for you today? Looking for a meal?"

"Mortal pig!" The male Spidren snarled.

"Now you're just hurting my feelings." She continued conversationally, sliding a bolt into place. "Now, I want you to give me _one good reason_ not to kill you."

"We're gonna feed you to our-" He began to threaten.

"Not good enough." She replied calmly. "Numair?"

He created a small hole in the shield, and she let loose, burying a bolt deep in his neck. He dropped like a stone, and Sarah turned to the next Spidren as Numair held them in place with his magic. "Tell me. How many of you are there?"

"Mortal scu-" Another bolt buried itself into this one's throat, and Sarah turned to the last Spidren.

"If you don't think I'll kill you, go right ahead and ignore my question. But if you want to live past the next two minutes, I want to know how many of you there are." She said calmly, ignoring the shocked looks the earthlings were giving her.

"You'll just kill me anyway." He spat, and Sarah shrugged.

"Perhaps. But you'll never know if you don't tell me. Of course, if you want to go the way of Pointy and Holey over there, then be my guest. Last chance." She levelled the crossbow, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Alright! We have a nest, and there are five other adults and twelve of our young, a mile down the road. Some mage promised us free run of a village if we attacked th' Messenger. Now let me go, you mortal pi-"

"Which mage?" Sarah's eyes narrowed suspiciously; she shot a quick glance at Numair.

"His magic was dark blue, that's all I know. He just showed up at our nest and when we tried to eat him, he laughed and killed two of us before usin' his Gift to hold the rest of us still."

"Accent, height, weight, build? Help me out here." Sarah lowered her crossbow marginally, and he followed its path.

"I didn't see him very well, but he wasn't from Tortall, I could tell. He had an accent. That's all. Would you put that damn thing away now?"

Sarah glanced down at the crossbow and shrugged. She lowered it, gestured to Numair, who stuck two fingers into a packet of eyesbright, a powder to determine lies. "When I let you go, will you try and kill an innocent person?"

"No, I swear!" The Spidren answered, and Numair shook his head.

"Liar." She replied quietly with a sigh, before raising her crossbow and burying a bolt deep in his chest. Two more followed.

"Right, we need to contact Alanna and the company of the Own, I-" Sarah was cut off by a furious yell from Munch.

"He was cooperating! You just killed him, after you promised not to!" He exclaimed, red with fury.

Sarah fixed him with a level gaze. "One: I did no such thing. Two: He was lying. He was going to kill people if I'd let him go. You know what, come along with me when I burn out their nest. We'll see how many groups of human bones you find there. They eat people alive, Munch. If I'd let him go, the first thing he would have done would've been to go to the nearest village and pick up a nice, juicy virgin to eat. So, yeah, I'm gonna kill them. Every last one of them. Because unlike some _other_ immortals, Spidrens don't have any qualities that deserve saving. Besides, _they_ were going to eat _us_."

"So you're going to kill the children?" Olivia asked, clearly appalled at the idea.

Sarah met her eyes. "Yep. Wildcat, care to explain it to them? Or you, Numair? I'm going to summon Alanna."

As she knelt by the fire, her palms up in a summoning, a force spun her around by the shoulder. She looked into the eyes of Stabler, who was red with fury. "You're talking about killing innocent creatures. And you're just going to slaughter them?!"

She stood quickly, forcing him back a couple of steps. "Judge me when you've seen what those _innocent_ creatures do, not before. You walk onto a crime scene and you see terrible things, but I can guarantee you haven't seen _anything_ until you've walked in on those _innocent_ creatures feasting on some kidnapped woman, from the legs up, while she's still _alive_. Now, Spidrens aren't innocent. Killer Unicorns aren't innocent. Hurroks, Wyverns, Coldfangs, Skinners, if I see _any_ of them, it's kill first, ask questions later. I've told you all, time and again, that things are different here. This is just one demonstration of how different they are. Excuse me." Sarah returned to her summoning spell.

When she was finished, she turned to Shang and mage, who were busy trying to explain to the earthlings why a Spidren wasn't something to keep around. Getting frustrated, Sarah interrupted. "Look, they aren't wild animals. Daine'll tell you that no animal is truly vicious; Spidrens _are_. And that's the end of that discussion. Don't worry, the minute the spell Mithros has on me falls, you'll be back in your dimension, and I'll be here, and we can forget any of this happened. Numair, can you give me a hand hitching the horses back to the carriage and wagon? Alanna said she'll be here in a few hours with half the Second Company of the King's Own, and we need to be ready to move. I don't like what the Spidren said about being paid to attack us."

He nodded and moved to the horses, picking up the packs and loading them back into the wagon. Sarah took the pack with her weapons and picked a sword, her long bow and two quivers full of arrows. Clipping the sword to her belt, she strung the bow and slung it over her shoulder, before aiding Numair with the wagon. They worked in silence until he cleared his throat softly. "He said they had been paid to attack _you_, Sarah. Someone's out to get you."

Sarah pursed her lips as she tightened a strap. "I heard. Let's just get to Corus, and we can discuss it with Jon, George and Myles. I want to know who wants me dead."

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An hour before Alanna was expected to arrive found Sarah staring pensively into the fire, Wildcat pacing around the boundary of the protection, and Numair sitting in a meditative position, keeping up the shield, near the packhorses.

"Sarah…" Casey began.

The knight looked up, startled. "What's up?" She looked passed the attorney to see the other earthlings watching her with varying degrees of suspicion or wariness.

"What's going on? That Spidren said they had been paid to attack _you_-"

Sarah cut of Casey's question, standing stiffly. "They haven't been paid yet. We haven't got word of any massacres yet, so they'll be paid upon completion of the mission. And they won't complete the mission. I'm sorry Mithros finds it funny to dump you in this situation. I'm going to make sure none of you are hurt here -"

There was a flash of bright yellow, followed by a thunderous _crash_ that was the sound of a foreign magic striking Numair's shield. Without thinking Sarah grabbed Casey and shoved her to the ground, before drawing her sword. When she saw what had attacked, her face fell. "Aw, crap."

There, flapping hard to stay in one place, were seven hurroks, two of which had been mounted by people, one man and one woman. The man, a tall black man with a gold hoop earring and rich looking robes, was the source of the yellow magic. The woman attacked next, teal fire lashing at the black shield as it flickered. Sarah spied slave collars on the hurroks.

"Numair!" She snapped.

"I can't hold the shield until Alanna gets here if this keeps up!" He replied, and Sarah gritted her teeth before running over to the packhorses, pulling out a wooden stick and sliding it into her waistband.

"Transfer the protections to the carriage! Wildcat, help me tack Topaz, Lulu and Slip to the carriage, and climb on." She turned back to the earthlings, who were crouched against the ground, staring up at the immortals and the mages controlling them in awed terror. The hurroks were taking turns with the mages, striking the ever weakening barrier with their claws. "The flying horse things are called hurroks. Now get on the carriage!" And she ran to the carriage to help Wildcat attach the three other horses to the front of the carriage, to add their power to the vehicle. Murmuring to her horse when she had been attached securely, she noticed Numair drawing symbols onto the wood in chalk out of the corner of her eye. "I know you don't like carriages, but I need you to get the others to safety, okay?"

The mare nuzzled her, pawing at the ground impatiently. Numair and Wildcat pulled her aside. "What's the plan?"

She met each of their eyes before pulling out her wand. "You're right, they're here for me. I'm going to draw them away, and you're going to pelt for Alanna. They're approaching from the same road we travelled down; you should reach them in half an hour, tops. You need to keep the others safe. Head for the road when I make a break for it."

"How are you going to do that without Topaz?" Wildcat frowned at the plan.

By way of answering, Sarah pointed her wand back the way they had come and yelled, "_Accio Nimbus 2001!_" Turning back to her two slowly nodding friends, she added, "A Nimbus 2001 is _way_ faster than a hurrok. Get ready, it'll be here in a couple of minutes and I aint waiting."

She quickly detailed her plan to the earthlings, who looked shellshocked at the entire situation, before standing out in the middle of the clearing, waiting for her birthday present from Harry Potter to arrive. The enemy mages seemed confused at their behaviour, and Sarah tightened her grip on the wand as she saw a flash of gold; the 'stirrups' of the broom as it flew quickly towards them.

"Numair, now!" He lowered his shield and the broom flew closer still. Sarah began to run, dodging blows from the enemy mages as the broom drew level with her. Leaping onto the flying piece of cleaning equipment, she pulled up the nose, taking it into a climb. As she flashed passed the hurroks and enemy mages, she saw them turned to stare, gobsmacked, at their quarry before hurrying to keep up with her as the mages threw more magical attacks at her.

"Protego!" She yelled with a flick of her wand as a yellow stream of fire almost connected with the back of her broom. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the five horse power carriage tear down the path, ignored by her pursuers. _Good._

As she climbed she allowed the hurroks to gain ground; it would do no good to leave them behind to try something cute with her friends. And then she whipped the Nimbus into a tight corkscrew, avoiding a further attack from the woman with the teal Gift, but in the process she allowed a stray hurrok to gain too much ground. Letting out a cry of pain, she muttered, "_Too_ close," As blood leaked from three claw wounds down the back of her left shoulder. Turning to face the offending creature, she yelled, "Impedementa!" And it fell, wings locked to its side, to the ground far below.

"Hey, dipstick!" She yelled to the male mage as he turned to go after her friends. "Getting sick of me already?"

She saw him narrow his eyes, and she threw a stupefy his way, which he blocked with a hastily erected shield. _Damnit. He'll be harder to deal with than I'd hoped._ And she threw another curse his way. They duelled, Sarah versus the two mages, for a good ten minutes, the young knight swerving in and around the hurroks as she stunned all but the ones bearing riders. They fell to the ground far below, to a certain death, and she was left with only the two mages to deal with.

Sarah's attention was focused too heavily on the mages below her; she didn't notice the threat from above until it was too late. A silver wing flashed in her peripheral vision; she ducked instinctively and missed being decapitated by an inch. _Crap, crap, crap, crap, _crap She gritted her teeth as she saw a dozen stormwings approaching from above her. _I'm not supposed to be caught in a pincer movement! That's not the way this was meant to happen!_ And the dodging game began again.

She tried the same movement she had used on the hurroks; hoping to group her enemies into one large bundle. The stormwings were waiting for the manoeuvre, however, and had arranged themselves to cut her off. A K'mir female grinned maliciously as she swiped at Sarah's broom; the knight swore and dove towards the ground. The manoeuvre was cut off by another stormwing, and she swerved to avoid having her arm sliced off by their sharp wings.

It was all Sarah could do to avoid being impaled or carved into tiny pieces; her attention was solely on the stormwings; she found herself drifting back towards Greenstone slowly but surely. The sting of fire on her legs and the smell of burnt wood alerted her to the attack from the mages, but it was too late. Her broom, the back end on fire, began to swerve of its own accord. An opportunistic stormwing narrowly missed her fingers as it sliced the nose off of the broom, and Sarah felt it plummet jerkily towards the ground. _Shit!_

Leaping clear of the broom, Sarah turned in midair and aimed her wand at a passing stormwing. "_Accio stormwing!_" As the stormwing tried valiantly to stay in the air, Sarah's wand tried to go to the stormwing; she held on tight as her decent slowed, even as the chosen stormwing drew closer and closer.

Looking down briefly, Sarah noticed the ground was still approaching quickly, _too_ quickly and the stormwing was losing ground in its attempt to stay aloft. The only piece of luck Sarah could count on was the fact that the other immortals had backed off to watch the spectacle.

Suddenly, the stormwing chose a different tact, diving at Sarah. She let it get closer, and as it tried to slice at her with its talons, she slid her wand into her waistband and grabbed its ankles, trying to avoid the sharp hawklike appendages, but only succeeding partially as she felt them dig deep into her already injured shoulder. The stormwing swooped low, approaching the road, and as they got closer to the ground she let go, travelling the rest of the way to the ground in a free fall, crashing through the tree canopy and colliding painfully, stomach first, with an elm tree and wrapping herself around its base.

Groaning, her eyelids fluttered closed as stars filled her vision. The last thing she heard was the flapping of steel wings as they swooped in for the kill...

TBC…

Muwahahahahahah!!!! Cliff hanger. Kind of. I hope. I like to think of it as a cliffie, but who knows whether you're all actually hanging onto every word in suspense. Lol. Read and Review, and I promise to update soon!


	11. Chapter 10

A/n. Okay, because I was such a bitch leaving it there last time, I'll update two chapters… lol. And a day earlier than I'd said, how nice am I? Thanks Orohippus and Kathy for the reviews...

Chapter 10:

Olivia watched as the _flying_broom flew towards Sarah and the woman yelled to Numair. "Numair, now!"

He pulled the magic back into himself rapidly; they watched as the shadowy magic speckled with white disappeared into his hand, and reappeared around the carriage, shielding them from attacks by the men on the flying hawklike horses. Sarah jumped onto her broom and took off quickly into the air as the carriage rattled towards the road at a speed far greater than they had been travelling at earlier.

The mage steered skilfully and turned onto the road, back the way they had come, and Olivia gritted her teeth to stop their rattling. She met Elliot's eyes and noticed an expression akin to dismay on his face. She knew how much her partner hated being left to helplessly watch as a critical situation unfolded before him, and gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, but knew was more of a grimace.

"Hey!" Munch was peering out the back of the carriage as the landscape behind them disappeared rapidly. "I think her plan's working; they aren't following us."

"But now they're following _her_." Casey pointed out with a worried glance down the road. "How long can she keep it up? They have her outnumbered seven to one, and those people looked pretty powerful, if they had the strongest mage in Tortall worried." She nodded towards Numair, who didn't glance back as he replied.

"They're at least Masters. Probably more advanced than that, and they have a lot of power. If Sarah was at full strength… we probably could have held it. But the shield had me pretty drained, and with her in the state she was at…" He trailed off, focusing on the dirt track they were hurtling down.

Casey turned to Wildcat, who was sitting on the bench beside Numair. "What are they after her for?"

The Shang met her eyes briefly, her face serious. "I don't know, but she'd better be alright." For just a moment, the tough woman's concern for her pupil shone through her closed off face.

The protections on the carriage cast a dark shadow around the landscape; a glance at the mage showed he was unlike most men, he could multitask. As he kept the protections up on the carriage and steered it down the road, Casey saw him hold a speck of magic between his thumb and forefinger, and a tiny voice that she had to strain to hear emitted from the magic. "Numair, what is it?" Alanna's voice sounded tinny through the spell.

"We were attacked by two mages and seven hurroks. Sarah summoned her broom and is leading them away right now; we're on our way to meet you on the road to Greenstone."

"She did _what_?" The cry of outrage came through the spell.

"It was the only possibility." Numair replied. "They were after her, and neither of us had the strength left to hold them off for long enough for you to get here. It was the only way, Alanna."

Casey thought she heard a grunt of frustration. "Alright, how long until you get to us?"

"Maybe twenty minutes." Numair replied.

"We'll try to make it faster. Just keep heading down the road, and we'll get there as soon as possible." Alanna ordered.

Numair nodded, even though Alanna couldn't see it. "See you soon." And he terminated the spell, focusing once again on the road, just in time for the sound of branches in the tree canopy being snapped to herald the reappearance of the Messenger for the Gods. They watched as she wrapped herself around the trunk of an elm tree, falling from about four meters in the air after letting go of a stormwing's talons; the immortal swooped in for the killing blow, and Numair blasted it with his Gift before pulling over at the side of the road.

Wildcat and Numair jumped off the carriage barely a moment after it had stopped moving, and rushed to the fallen knight. "Sarah!" The man shouted as the Shang rolled her young pupil onto her back.

"She's alive. Help me get her onto the carriage." Wildcat's voice was fraught with anxiety as they hustled her onto the back of the carriage, the mage remaining in the back to focus on the protections and tend to his younger friend while the Shang took over steering.

George knelt beside the lanky mage, surveying Sarah's wounds as their carriage began to move again, rattling down the road even as blasts from the attacking mages pounded against Numair's shield. "She's pretty bad off." He began, and Numair nodded, his dark eyes worried.

The mage examined her closely, wincing at every moan he caused as he jostled her injuries. "As far as I can tell, her left arm's fractured, as well as several ribs, and if she hasn't got a concussion after that fall then I'm the son of a goatherder. Her shoulder's been in better shape too." Numair winced at the view of her face; one side was covered in blood from a gash on her forehead.

George probed the nasty red burns on the back of her legs. "This is probably how she lost her broom, assuming the injuries were obtained before she lost it."

Numair took one glance at her legs, and his jaw clenched, before he looked to the canopy, as though looking through it at the attacking mage, his face filled with fury. A low moan from Sarah was all that stopped him from attacking the two mages directly. Instead he used another speech spell to contact Alanna. "Alanna… Sarah's injured."

At his tone the woman's voice was guarded. "How badly?"

He winced as he mentally collated the list. "From what we can tell, her left arm's fractured, she's got some broken ribs, she's _got_ to have a concussion, the size the gash on her head, but we won't be able to tell until she wakes up. The back of her legs are burnt too, and there are probably a few other injuries that I missed. She fell through the tree canopy."

"Through the… Gods, what happened?! I thought she was supposed to be leading the immortals_away_ from everyone." Alanna's voice was thick with worry.

"Something must have happened. What do you want me to do? She's looking pretty bad. I think she's going into shock." He held his wrist against her forehead, noting her cold and clammy skin as she paled noticeably.

"Elevate her legs." Alanna's voice came from the speech spell. "And check whether she's got any abdominal internal bleeding. And if you can, wake her up."

George rolled up her shirt, to reveal a large bruise spreading over the side of her stomach. "It looks pretty bad, Alanna."

"Alright, just bandage up any external cuts she has. Don't try to splint her arm, but cover her legs with clean bandages to stop an infection. _Don't_ wrap it too tightly." The Lioness' voice was strained, and what Numair said next didn't help.

"Ah… Alanna. We only kept the packs with the weapons and rations. We've got maybe two meters of bandages, and that won't be enough."

He could almost hear her grinding her teeth. "Use your shirts if you have to. Use the bandages on her legs. We'll be there soon."

"Hurry, Alanna." Numair terminated the spell once more and pulled off his tunic, using a belt knife to cut strips and wadding the rest, before wrapping both sides of her shoulder to stop the bleeding. George provided his tunic to use on her head, and Numair began wrapping her legs loosely in the clean bandages.

"How is she?" Wildcat asked from the front, and Casey climbed over to appraise her of the situation.

"She's pretty bad off. Her calves are burnt, she's got broken ribs and a broken arm, and she's covered with small cuts." Casey glanced back at the younger woman laying pale in the back of the carriage. "She's got gashes on her shoulder and one on her forehead."

They sat in silence, glancing back only when a choked cough drew their attention; they could see Numair sliding a vial back into his pocket as George and Stabler held Sarah down. "Go check on her." Wildcat ordered softly. "Let me know how she is."

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An awful smell permeated her nostrils; Sarah gagged, before opening her eyes with a wince. "Ow." She whispered.

The faces of Numair, George and Elliot filled her vision. "Sarah, don't try to move." Numair ordered as Elliot backed up to the side of the carriage, resuming his seat.

Groaning, she slowly moved her right arm – her left wouldn't budge, and she almost fainted when she tried moving it – and felt around her waist band. When her hands closed around her wand she groaned again, this time it had nothing to do with pain. Holding the wand up so she could see it clearly, she swore, a long stream of creative invectives, as she saw it in two pieces. "I went to so much trouble getting this damn thing!" Her complaint came out as an angry whisper. "It was made 'specially for the last Messenger to go to that dimension! None of the others worked. Aww… damn…" She felt her eyes close, and Numair slapped her face lightly to wake her up again.

"Sarah." His voice was full of concern. "You need to stay awake. You're in shock. Keep your eyes open for me, okay?"

"You slap my face one more time and I'm going to kick you in the balls." She threatened, and she heard Olivia snort.

Casey's face appeared in her vision, and she almost jumped. "All that training, and you're going to kick him in the family jewels?"

She gasped a laugh, and screwed up her face as pain stabbed through her chest. "Okay, don't make me laugh. _Please_ don't make me laugh. How'd I get in here, anyway?"

"You fell through the trees, with a stormwing hot on your tail. What happened to your Nimbus?" Numair asked, keeping up the conversation.

Sarah set her teeth, taking a few shallow breaths before answering. "I got rid of the hurroks, 'cept the ones being ridden by the mages, they were shielded too well. Then a bunch of stormwings almost took my head off in an ambush." She chuckled. "Turns out they're better flyers than hurroks, they herded me back towards Greenstone and kept me busy long enough for th' mages to land a solid hit. Set fire to my broom and the back of m' legs. Then a stormwing finished off my broom by slicing th' top bit off. It kinda went down hill after that… and now I got_another_ thing to buy when I go back t' that dimension, and I aint rich there. Bloody hell, this is shaping up to be a _bad_ day."

"She's a little… insane, when she's only half lucid, isn't she?" Munch's face joined Casey, Numair and George's.

Sarah felt her eyelids get heavier, and Numair began slapping her cheeks again. "Come on, stay awake."

"Don't…" Despite the mage's efforts, she couldn't stay awake, and her eyes closed against her will.

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"This is…" Elliot trailed off, and Olivia gripped his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

"It'll be alright." She murmured in his ear.

"How?" He asked, clearly shaken. "We've been pulled into some weird shit."

She pulled back, unused to hearing him swear. "We need to focus on keeping on top of this. We can't let ourselves be overwhelmed."

"Overwhelmed?!" He turned to look at her in disbelief. "Sarah just fell through the God damned sky! After flying off on a magic broom! After we were brought here by a God, not the Holy Father, which goes _completely_ against Catholicism! And the God won't let us go home! Why the _hell_ can't we let ourselves be overwhelmed?" Elliot was yelling by now.

Numair looked up from his position kneeling next to Sarah; his dark eyes were serious as he spoke. "Detective Stabler. Do you hear those cracks? Those are the attacks of two _very_ powerful mages attacking my shield. Regardless of how easy I may make this look, your yelling is distracting me. Keep it up, and we'll be incinerated by an attack from those mages."

"Why don't you just turn them into a tree?" He retorted.

"Because that would result in a tree on the other side of the world becoming a man." Numair replied, and the sound of hooves clattering ahead of the carriage, distracting them from any further repartee. The mage rose to a crouch, peering out of the carriage to see who it was as Wildcat slowed to a stop on the side of the road. He turned to George. "Watch her." And jumped off of the carriage, hurrying outside.

"I guess the cavalry's arrived." Olivia muttered.

She stood, following Elliot as he stepped down the steps, and her gaze was drawn upward. There was a stalemate of sorts; the men in the King's Own aiming at the hurroks bearing mages and the stormwings that were hovering above them, and the mages threatening spells with their yellow and teal magic pooled around their hands.

Numair and Alanna had them beat, however, in sheer power. The Lioness broke the stalemate, throwing a net of power around the hurroks and their riders, who broke free after a moment's effort. Numair threw a bolt of magic at the male mage; its hurrok disappeared in a blaze of fire, and a stormwing dove to catch him. That decided the attacking forces; the stormwings and remaining hurrok took off, jeering as they flew into the horizon. Numair and Alanna threw bolt after bolt at them until they disappeared.

Olivia and Elliot had watched in awe, even as Alanna bustled past them, a hard look in her eyes as she bounded up the steps to the carriage, disappearing inside. Instead of following the woman into the crowded carriage, they made their way to the side of the road and sat heavily. The events of the previous few days had taken their toll on Olivia and Elliot; they leant into each other for support.

Munch, Fin and Cragen joined them after a few moments, choosing not to mention the position they found the partners in, leaning back against trees for their own support. Men from the King's Own brought them waterskins to drink from, and jerky to eat. Casey and George remained in the carriage, watching over as Alanna tried to help Sarah.

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"Come on, Sarah." Alanna breathed. "Wake up. And stop fighting me." She had one hand on Sarah's chest, the other was stroking a sweaty brow slowly.

"How is she fighting you?" Casey asked, confused.

Alanna's voice was distracted when she answered. "Sometimes a healer finds it difficult to heal someone because they fight them subconsciously. Sarah doesn't normally do it, but she's normally awake to be healed." Frowning, she put more of her Gift into the suggestion to wake up, and Sarah moaned softly, her eyelids fluttering.

"It's easier to heal people when they're awake?" George watched the process closely; he had expected it to be the other way around.

"Nope. Just Sarah. When she's asleep she'll fight just about anything." Alanna answered. "Come on, wake up." When the younger knight's eyes finally snapped open the red head smiled softly. "Did you realise you were fighting me in your sleep?"

Looking around for a moment to gain her bearings, Sarah winced as a wave of pain hit her, soon to be squelched by Alanna. She tried for a grin that came out as a grimace. "So, doc, d'you think this qualifies for a pass on the Midwinter balls, or should we call the hurroks back for another pass?"

"Shh. Don't try to joke; you were never any good at it anyway." Alanna jibed, before placing a hand on her stomach. "I want you to focus on _not_ resisting me. I need to deal with your internal bleeding." A soft purple glow gathered around Alanna's hand, and Sarah's eyes grew distant

Casey and George watched, awestruck, as the bruise that had spread across Sarah's abdomen slowly shrank into nothing. A couple of audible cracks followed, and the younger knight swore. "Damnit Alanna!"

The expression of pain on Sarah's face slowly disappeared as Alanna stroked her forehead again. "I'm sorry Sarah, but you tense up when you know I'm about to heal a broken bone."

Sarah grumbled, but Numair and Alanna were the only ones close enough to hear what she said. An expression of interest crossed Alanna's face. "Where'd you learn _those_?"

"Last time I visited Leia and the kids Han had some of his friends from his ol' smuggling days around. They had quite the mouth on them- _ow_!" She cried out as Alanna focused on her arm, binding it to a splint after straightening it out quickly. Gritting her teeth, she cast Alanna a death glare. "Cow."

"Baby." The older knight retorted.

Sarah's face suddenly turned grey, her mouth turned downwards in a grimace. "I'm feeling kinda nauseous."

Alanna's face almost mirrored Sarah's. "That'll be the shock. _Don't_ throw up on my shoes. Here, use Numair's."

Sarah laughed, and it turned into a strained cough. Groaning, she rubbed her chest with her good hand. Casey repeated Sarah's earlier plea; "Don't make her laugh."

The younger woman sent her a look of gratitude. Alanna patted her shoulder. "Sorry. Alright, you should some rest, and I'll deal with your concussion. Just _don't_ fight me, I'm already tired from dealing with your friends."

Sarah nodded and closed her eyes. George peered at Alanna from the other side of the young girl. "What about her burns and the slashes on her shoulder?"

Alanna shook her head, even as Wildcat joined them. She had been unhitching the horses to spell them from their efforts hurrying them to aid, and now she watched anxiously over the younger Shang. "How is she?"

Alanna answered first George's question, then Wildcat's. "The gashes on her shoulder and the burns on her legs will be alright as they are; I'm too tapped to do much else for her right now except make her comfortable. And she's out of the woods now; one of her ribs was poking into her lungs, which was making it hard for her to breathe but it didn't puncture the organ, thank the Mother. I'm about to deal with her concussion, and I've dealt with the extensive internal bleeding. She'll sleep the shock off, and when we get her to Corus Duke Baird can help me heal her properly. Numair, do me a favour and contact Jonathon. He needs to know everything that's happened, and it'd be good if Duke Baird was ready and waiting when we get there tomorrow."

"You'll be arriving tomorrow?" Numair frowned. "When are you leaving?"

"The men are setting up a litter as we speak for Sarah; we'll be leaving as soon as we've got her ready for the trip. You'll all follow later, with the rest of the Own." Alanna turned to Casey and George, staring at them pointedly. "I trust it won't be an issue, staying in the care of Numair while I get Sarah the help she needs?"

Casey glanced at the male mage. "I think he's proven himself. I can't vouch for Elliot… but then, I think you're more of a verbal punching bag for him right now. Sorry."

Numair sighed, holding a hand against his heart in dramatic flair. "I shall take his jibes with good nature. I am forever the martyr."

"Forever the Player." Alanna retorted. For the benefit of the earthlings she explained. "A Player is like a street performer. And this Player should get going and talk to Jon about what's happened tonight. He'll want to know."

"Yes King's Champion. Whatever you say, King's Champion." He feigned a salute and debarked from the carriage, calling up a black ball of magic as he did so.

Alanna sighed, meeting the eyes of the earthlings in dismay. "Sarah's rubbed off on him. You should see him at court functions. Sometimes he doesn't even bother with an intellectual response to slurs against his nature."

"What does he do?" Casey asked; George looked interested.

"Pokes his tongue out at them. It's ridiculous. And he's teaching bad habits to his daughter; she does it to every Conservative she sees when they pass in the halls. Excuse me." Alanna closed her eyes as her breathing evened out and she placed a hand on each side of Sarah's head.

Casey and George took this opportunity to leave, following in Numair's footsteps, to find the mage standing a few meters away, speaking softly into his palm, a light scowl on his face. When they reached the others from their dimension, they were confronted by the sight of Olivia asleep, her head resting on Elliot's shoulder as his rested on top of hers. Casting an amused glance at the shrink, Casey knew he must have guessed, like she had. The two of them had the highest likelihood of detecting a crush between the detectives; George was a shrink and Casey was… well, she wasn't blind like the other detectives of the SVU.

They joined the detectives wordlessly; that silence was shattered when Alanna yelled loudly in the carriage. "He said _what?_" soon after she stomped down from the carriage, a scowl on her face. "Of all the Gods cursed, idiotic, pigheaded ideas! How can he think of shows of strength when she was nearly killed?!"

Numair followed, a patient look on his face. "He's sending two Rider Groups to accompany us, and he wants the entire Second Company to come with us. Baird will be travelling with the Riders; they'll be here in a few hours, and you said yourself, you've got Sarah stabilized. We need to approach this rationally; if the people that attacked Sarah return, we want as many people as possible here to defend her, if it comes to that."

Alanna shot him a death glare, as though blaming him for joining with the side of reason, and stomped off to terrorize the men of the King's Own. Numair sighed and sat by the earthlings. "And now you know why she's called the 'Lioness'. You'll get to meet Daine sooner rather than later; His Majesty's sending her to speak with the animals in the general area, to try and find out where the mages went."

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Olivia woke up with a start, and realised her head leant against a warm – and bony – shoulder, and someone was leaning their head against the crown of her own. Glancing around she accounted for Munch, Fin, Cragen, George and Casey; only the attorney was awake. When Casey noticed Olivia was asleep no more, she grinned wickedly. "So. You and Elliot."

"There is no 'me and Elliot'." Olivia snapped quietly. "How do I move without waking him?"

"I don't see how-" Casey was cut off by loud exclamations from the back of the carriage, which had remained on the side of the road since Wildcat had parked it there. It had been four hours since the Riders had apparently left Corus, and they were expected at any moment.

Now, however, Sarah limped around the side of the carriage. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. _Ow._" Her face creased with pain from every step. When she saw Olivia and Casey staring at her, she tried for a weak grin. "Good morning."

Elliot snorted and shifted his head; Olivia pounced on the opportunity to shunt his head off of her own, escaping the precarious situation she had found herself in. She only hoped Captain Cragen pretended like it had never happened. "Good morning." She answered Sarah. "Shouldn't you be lying down?"

Sarah shrugged, which set off another wince as she pulled the clotted wounds on her shoulder. "Probably. But all the little aches and bruises are conspiring to make that _very_ uncomfortable." She limped over to a well lit tent, and disappeared behind a flap. The two women could hear her arguing with a man that spoke in hushed tones. "No, Hakim, I will_not_ go back to sleep. I'm hungry. You know how it is when you wake up from a healing, the stomach comes first…. No, don't! She'll force a sleeping draught down my throat…. Just give me the damn apple, and I'll take jerky if you've got it. Ohh, is that wine I see?... What, no, I don't _actually_ want some; I'm assuming Alanna'd like this camp in one piece come sunrise…. Well if the Riders are accompanying Duke Baird, wouldn't it be better if I was up and about when they got here? We wouldn't want Queenscove thinking I was _that_ badly injured…. Ignore what Alanna said, she's a drama queen. I wasn't _that_ bad off…. Come on… just give me the apple. Thanks Hakim!"

And she ducked out the tent again; this time they saw the wince as she stressed her healing ribs. And now she had two apples and a couple of pieces of jerky, as well as a bag of what looked like trail mix in her hands, and a cheeky grin on her face. As an explanation to the two staring earthlings, she shrugged. "He has a soft spot for women."

As she sat down to eat her food, Numair approached the impromptu camp of earthlings. When he saw Sarah sitting there, eating calmly, he faltered before taking a seat next to her and stealing a piece of jerky. "If Alanna catches you up and about there'll be hell to pay."

Sarah shrugged. "Oh well. I'm more worried about Wildcat catching me. Where _is_ she, anyway?"

"On lookout for the Riders. When they get here I suggest you hurry back to the carriage and play possum, quicksmart." He ruffled her hair. "You had us worried."

"I had me worried, too." She admitted ruefully. "I fully didn't expect a dozen stormwings to attack. Whoever arranged for all this has a lot of connections, and I don't like that one bit."

"None of us do. The fact that someone offered a bounty of an entire _village_ to Spidrens if they attacked you is bad enough, but the idea that they found something to offer the stormwings that would get them to attack the Messenger for the _Gods_ chills me to the bones. And did you notice; the hurroks had slave collars on?" His face was creased with thought; he had a slight frown on his face as he thought.

"Yeah, I noticed. This guy's got a lot of power; do you think it was the two mages that attacked that want me dead, or did someone hire them too?" She asked his opinion; for a moment the earthlings were forgotten, and one by one they began to wake up. They silently listened to his answer.

"If they have the power to enlist Spidrens, stormwings and hurroks to attack you, they wouldn't attack you personally. Someone else is pulling the strings." He answered softly.

"I'd love to know who." Sarah's voice was deadly and quiet; her sharp green eyes serious. Watching her, Casey could see a sudden realisation cross her face. "What about the rest of the Spidren nest? Was it dealt with?"

Numair nodded. "Alanna sent a contingent of the Own after you were stabilised. They came back reporting no casualties… there were a few victims in the cave."

"What?" The sharp enquiry came from Munch; the earthlings had all fallen asleep by the time the Own had been sent out.

"Two women and a teenage boy." Numair grimaced. "I'm told the sight was… unpleasant. There were no survivors."

"The baby Spidrens were too far into their meal, weren't they?" Sarah asked grimly. When he nodded, she slammed her right hand into her knee angrily. "Damnit! I shouldn't have focused so much on the raiders."

"It wasn't your fault." Numair reminded her quietly. "They were taken from a village in your neighbouring fief, not Greenstone, and as far as we know their disappearance wasn't reported. You couldn't have known there were active immortals in the area."

"Mate, you know as well as I do that there are _always_ active immortals in the area." She replied.

Before he could reply, an eagle swooped into the road, landing at Numair's feet with a _caw_, nudging him with its beak. His face softened, and a small smile played at his lips. "Magelet. You can change back in the carriage; I'll find some spare clothes for you."

The eagle began flapping its wings, to take off again, but Sarah cleared her throat. "Just a minute. Casey, Olivia, Elliot, Fin, John, George, Don… can I call you Don?" Sarah asked Captain Cragen, and when he nodded, clearly confused, she continued. "Meet Veralidaine Salmalin, the Wildmage. She prefers the name 'Daine', though." The eagle nodded to the earthlings before continuing to the carriage.

Elliot frowned. "He married a bird?"

"No. She's human… just a little different to most humans. Give her a minute."

When the woman with shoulder length brown hair, wearing men's breeches and a tunic shirt stepped down from the carriage, she appraised the earthlings with a raised eyebrow. "So you're the people that think my husband is a sexual deviant?"

TBC….


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

"_So you're the people that think my husband is a sexual deviant?"_

Daine had her hands planted on her hips, both eyebrows raised, and her lips pursed. All in all, her expression screamed, 'This better be good, or I'm sicking the dogs on you.'

The subjects of her stern expression looked like they didn't know how to answer the question. Certainly, other girls in the situation they had _thought_ Daine was in had confronted them with an attitude before, but not one of authority. Normally the girls that claimed their much, _much_ older boyfriends loved them approached the detectives of the SVU with authority issues and curse words.

This woman, however, was glaring at them, with Numair wincing behind her. He knew that tone; it was the tone that heralded his overnight stays in the stables. Sarah took mercy on the earthlings. "Relax, Daine. They deal with men that don't necessarily have the honourable intentions Numair does every day. Think of it this way; if you only ever see a stormwing killing and desecrating bodies, would you believe they have a soft spot for children, or would you assume they'd kill them just as easily as anyone else? Or, in this case, if you only ever see older men taking advantage of younger women, would you believe true love could exist between the pair?"

Daine glanced at Sarah, and her glare lessened for just long enough for her to walk over and give her a quick hug. "Odds bobs, Sarah, when King Jonathon told me how badly injured you were… What are you doing out of bed?"

"Yes, what are you doing out of bed?" Alanna's voice came from behind the younger knight; when Sarah turned she noticed Wildcat, Duke Baird, Queen Thayet and the K'mir Commander of the Riders, Buri, standing with the redheaded knight.

Lifting her head and facing her friends pointed glare, she crossed her arms against her chest as best she could. "If you call _that_ a bed. Forgive me for preferring to sit over lying on the wooden floor of a carriage that smelt of sweat and my own blood."

Grins appeared on the faces of Wildcat and Buri. Duke Baird's shoulders shook with silent laughter. Thayet giggled. After a moment Alanna sighed. "I'm telling you, there's no respect for elders anymore. Alright, we'll move you to a tent and a set up a bed roll. Come on."

Sarah grimaced. "From the hard wooden floor to the annoyances of sticks and stones poking into my back as I try to sleep. Really, Alanna, Duke Baird, I'm not that tired. And besides, I want to see Daine go off at these guys." She grinned at earthlings, who, for the first time, looked uncertain in their condemnation of Numair.

Buri's grin widened. "I'd heard about that. So, Numair, what'd you do when they confronted you about your miscreant ways? Threaten to turn them into trees?"

"One time, and they don't let you live it down." Numair muttered to himself. He stepped forward and put his hand on Daine's shoulder. "Love, don't bother trying to explain it to them. They're convinced you're a victim of my worldly ways, and Sarah and Alanna have been trying to explain it to them since before we left Greenstone."

"No." Daine snapped, anger evident in her brown eyes. "I'm sick of people making that remark about you; it's none of their damned business about our relationship." She shook her finger at the earthlings. "Now you lot listen here; Numair never forced me into anything. We were both consenting adults, and we love each other, so back off."

Thayet put on her best angry royalty expression to back Daine up, causing Numair to wince in appreciation.

Sarah choked back a laugh, and Alanna and Wildcat had to fight to keep straight faces. While Daine was ordinarily in no way imposing, she could intimidate people when she put her mind to it, especially if she had royalty to support her. And the fact that her fingers had grown long, wolflike claws, didn't hurt. "Um… Magelet?" Numair pointed at her fingers.

"Mithros, Mynoss and Shakith!" She exclaimed, using her husband's favourite saying. She focused on her hands and the claws slowly shrunk to her human fingernails. "Now look, you've got me angry enough to lose control." She muttered churlishly, and Sarah's grin widened.

"See? What did I tell you; she can most certainly take care of herself." She pointed out.

Olivia nodded slowly. "I believe you." Casey murmured her agreement also. The men just stared at Daine with a mix of awe and tired acceptance. Not much was going to surprise them anymore. Elliot snapped out of it first, and approached Numair with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"If you hurt her…" He let the sentiment trail off, letting Numair come to any conclusion he wanted about the threat. Thayet lost her composure and giggled again. At that moment, just like Alanna, Wildcat and Buri, she found the situation rather amusing.

"Gods, Elliot, give it a break!" Sarah exclaimed, before turning to an angry Daine. "He has daughters. I think he's a little over protective of 'innocent little girls'." She explained.

"How do you know about my family?" Elliot asked at the same time as Daine frowned.

"Innocent little girls?"

Sarah just grinned at Daine before explaining to Elliot, "I saw the photos on your desk. I assumed you weren't just some creepy guy that kept the photo that came with the frame to pretend like he has friends… I knew a guy in high school that did that. And he picked his nose…" She trailed off, her nose wrinkling in disgust.

Daine ignored her, instead continuing with her disbelieving line of questioning. "Since when am I an 'innocent little girl'? I'm older than you."

Sarah grinned at the Wildmage before answering. "They all think you were an innocent little girl until Numair came and exposed you to his worldly ways. And he treated me the same way when he first met me. He didn't like the fact that the Great Gods had sent me on a mission when I was seventeen. He got over it-"

"No I didn't." Elliot interrupted firmly. "I still think it's wrong. And if anyone doesn't then there's something wrong with them." He glared at the native Tortallans that stood around the road; they looked uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

Sarah sighed. "_You_ can say that all you want. Any of you earthlings can talk about the Gods like you want. And I can say it all I want; it's not fair, my life's harder than it should have been, I've been injured more in the last three years than I should have been in my entire life blah, blah, blah. But there are two things you need to consider; while they may all hate the idea of someone being 'forced into' this life, like I was, they can't say it. Heck, Mithros is notorious for not treating people that doubt him well; I know _that_ from personal experience. And the other thing you need to consider is this; I wouldn't trade my life for anyone else's."

"Don't you miss your family?" Elliot tried baiting her, drawing a sad sigh from the subject of their concern.

"From time to time, but my mother made it clear what she thought of me when I went back there. These people are my family now." She nodded around the road to the people gathered there. Alanna smiled at her; Duke Baird nodded his approval. Daine hugged her around the shoulders, and Buri gave her the thumbs up. Numair just ruffled her hair. Wildcat met her eyes, with an expression of affection on her face. As a Shang she hadn't taken the time to start a family; she viewed Sarah as a kind of surrogate daughter, not that she'd ever admit to it when questioned.

Daine cleared her throat, distracting from the moment. "So, since when am I an innocent little girl?"

Sarah laughed at her attempts to change the subject. Numair tweaked his wife's nose. "You've never been an innocent little girl. You were born with all the knowledge and understanding of the world's deepest, darkest secrets. Better, Magelet?"

She scowled, but stood on her tippy toes to plant a peck on his cheek. "Don't be cheeky."

George had watched the entire display with interest; now he cocked his head and watched Daine intently. "Sarah said you grew up quickly, quicker than someone should."

Daine glanced sidelong at Sarah. "She _did_, did she?"

Sarah jumped to defend herself. "I was just trying to get them off Numair's back. And I didn't tell him _why_. That's your business." She yawned largely. "Alright, I'm ready for that bed roll now…"

Alanna moved over to her to support her, even as she yawned again. "Come on, Nut Job. Let's get you to bed."

"Stop calling me that!" Sarah protested as she was led off to a tent.

She heard Thayet call after her, "Sweet dreams, Nut Job."

Baird followed, chuckling, as they disappeared into a tent with lights that shone through the flaps, leaving the out-of-place earthlings standing around the darkened road, lit only with the flickering light of torches, sharing in an uncomfortable silence with the Tortallans.

Thayet nudged Numair. "You may not like them, but don't tell me you've forgotten your manners."

"Hmm?" He frowned, before realisation dawned on his face. "Captain Donald Cragen, Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak, Doctor George Huang and Detectives Olivia Benson, Elliot Stabler, Odafin Tutuola and John Munch, may I present to you Commander Buriram Tourakom and Her Royal Majesty, Queen Thayet the Peerless. And that man that left with Alanna and Sarah was Duke Baird of Queenscove, the King's best healer."

"You're the Queen." It was a weak statement from Casey; the events of the previous days had left her reeling.

Buri grinned an evil grin. "She's not like ordinary queens…"

"I didn't know she was the Queen until she told me her name." Daine added. "I thought she was a commoner at first, cause she looked like she worked for a living."

"Our dear Thayet came to Tortall looking to be an ordinary citizen…" Numair began, grinning at the woman known as the most beautiful woman in the land. "But alas, she was wooed by our dear king."

"Oh stop it." She snapped at the three of them. "And besides, Numair, I would have preferred just 'Thayet' over the whole mouthful." Turning to the dumbstruck earthlings, she added, "I find conversation is a lot easier when people don't know just who I am. When they find out…" The Queen shrugged and gestured to their slightly agape mouths.

"Right." Elliot said. "Right. Excuse me." He walked away, rubbing the back of his neck and shaking his head in disbelief. Olivia cast an apologetic look to the Tortallans and followed him after a moment.

Munch explained in a dry voice. "He has coping issues. This whole experience basically threw his lifelong faith in his face. It'll take some time. He doesn't like the idea of a woman as young as Sarah was when she started out risking her life for the Gods that have proven his doesn't exist. And I think the fact that someone half his age was sent off on her own last night because someone ordered a hit on her made him angry." He finished on a bitter tone.

Numair blinked. "Is _that_ what you think happened?" He asked, shocked.

Wildcat just rolled her eyes. "Sarah never jumped to all the conclusions you people do. It's hard to believe you people come from the same kind of place."

"Well what conclusion _should_ we have jumped to?" Munch retorted, and Wildcat folded her arms across her chest.

Numair saved her from answering. "Sarah was nearly drained of her Gift. I was getting to the level she was, just from keeping the shield up. If we'd had to wait for Alanna to get there, and she was almost an hour away, we wouldn't have lasted. We'd all be dead by now. Sarah charged me and Wildcat with getting you all to safety while she distracted them."

"Wait a minute, what? What do you mean, Sarah charged you with our safety?" Cragen frowned, his eyes narrowing.

With a sigh, Numair explained. "If it were just me, Wildcat and Sarah, we probably would have just attacked the mages, and not bothered with a shield. We all know enough to dodge a mage's attack, and apart from Wildcat we can defend ourselves against them if they get too close. As it was, there were too many non-Gifted people to protect."

"So you're saying her injuries are our fault." Cragen's voice was flat, but Numair thought he heard an underlying tone of anger.

Wildcat snorted. "No, they were her fault. The plan didn't involve her becoming a punching bag for the mages and stormwings."

"So why didn't you all just shoot them with crossbows?" Fin asked, his arms crossed against his chest.

"Any mage worth his salt can stop a crossbow bolt in its tracks. It would have been an exercise in futility. Sarah-" Numair was cut off by a yell from a little way away.

"Can hear you, and wants you all to _shut up_ so she can get some rest." Sarah called, her head poking out of the tent. "And stop blaming each other; I would have done it with or without Numair and Wildcat approving. Now shut the _hell_ up."

Thayet choked back a laugh, having been nothing more than an observer in the conversation. "I guess that settles that."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

When Sarah next awoke they were moving, she was in the back of a _new_ carriage, Daine was steering and Olivia was dozing quietly in the corner. Her mouth was dry and felt like she had stuffed cotton balls in it sometime in the past twenty four hours, and her head felt light as a feather.

Duke Baird and Alanna had lulled her to sleep with their Gifts; by the fact that Sarah had slept through being shifted to a carriage and part of the journey said they had either done a _very_ thorough job of it, or they had renewed the suggestion of sleep sometime after. Holding her head in her right hand, she sat up and tested her left arm. She winced in pain, but it was nothing compared to when she had first tried to move it; it was getting better.

She patted the skin on the back of her leg; it no longer burned with every touch, and when she rolled up the pants of her breeches she saw fresh, pink skin. Sarah touched her shoulder and the bandage on her head, and not feeling any pain, she quickly slid her fingers under the cotton patch on her temple. When she felt nothing but unbroken skin, she carefully peeled the bandages away, and working under the shelter of her shirt she did the same to her shoulder.

Moving quietly so as to not disturb the sleeping detective, she climbed onto the front of the carriage, sitting beside a startled Daine. "Good morning." She murmured.

"Good afternoon." Daine corrected, and Sarah grinned.

"It's morning whenever I wake up." She retorted. "Where are the rest of my visitors?"

"There's a carriage behind us, but ADA Novak is riding Topaz. I find it hard to stay angry with a woman that Topaz is so fond of." Daine nodded to the auburn haired woman riding several horselengths ahead of them. "She says she's gentle when she rides, and never uses her heels to try and steer her. All of which is apparently an improvement of when she first tried to ride a horse. Topaz showed me an image of her trying to mount Swift Foot." Daine bit her lip to stop a giggle.

Sarah grinned widely. It _had_ been amusing, and almost impossible to keep her face straight when she viewed that sight. "Yeah. That _was_ pretty funny. And if you try to console her by telling her of _my_ ordeal, learning to mount Topaz, I'll disown you."

Daine grinned, but didn't respond to the threat. Instead, she cocked her head to one side, shooting an amused glance at her before saying, "So. A mental institution."

Sarah groaned. She had known this was coming. And the fact of the matter was, she was going to end up having to explain it a dozen times, and put up with jests and jokes that were going to get _really_ old, really quickly. "I was dumped unconscious in an alley; because of all my scars and healed fractures the Special Victim's Unit was called in, because they thought I'd been abused. Anyway, Olivia questioned me on 'the man that attacked me', but when she asked me how long I was staying in America, because I had an Aussie drivers license in the wallet that the Goddess had dumped me with, I couldn't think of a proper answer.

"So basically I froze, unable to think of a good answer, and explained all about my job and the Gods, and here… and because I was tapped out from fighting raiders, I couldn't prove a single thing. So George, he's a psychiatrist, decided it was all a paranoid delusion and I was hurting myself to make it all seem more real to me, and sent me to Bellevue Psych for treatment." Sarah sighed. "And now I think I have my nickname. You're the Wildmage, Alanna's the Lioness, and I'm pretty sure if you lot have your way it'll be Nut Job or Nut Case or some rubbish. So, did you get anything from the animals? Did you get the direction the mages went?"

Daine shook her head. "When the fireworks started they all hid, and the bigger animals fled. Even the owls… from what I heard you and the mages made quite the impression."

"I'm sure crashing through half the animals' homes made quite the impression when I fell through the tree canopy." Sarah snorted. "Oops."

Daine smiled briefly at her, and turned her attention to the road, where the horses ahead of them were slowing to a stop. She drew the carriage to a halt; the jerk startled Olivia into wakefulness; her head appeared between Sarah's and Daine. "Oh, we aren't there yet?"

"Nope, but I recognize this stretch of road, so travelling at the speed we are, we'll be there in maybe ninety minutes." Sarah reassured the woman. "It's very different to Greenstone; trust me."

"Alright. Ah… Sarah, there's something I wanted to talk to you about…" Olivia trailed off, biting her lip.

The knight threw a confused look at Olivia and shrugged. "Sure, I need to stretch my legs anyway. Let's walk."

As they ambled through the caravan of the King's Own and Riders, Sarah waving to the occasional person, she waited patiently for the detective to start talking. "Um. Well, when Carter had me… I prayed." She began, and when Sarah didn't answer she looked up, meeting the younger woman's eyes. They held nothing but curious interest, so she forged onwards. "I tried praying to God, but it wasn't too long before I was trying _your_ Gods. I tried Mithros, and then the Great Mother Goddess, because they were the only two that I knew of."

"And?" Sarah pried gently.

"She answered." Olivia replied bluntly. "She told me not to worry, and that my friends were coming to save me. When I asked whether I was insane, she said no. She said that you were sent to stop Carter from killing me, and that she wanted to see my work in the SVU continue. How do I know it was really her, and not just my mind clutching to any hope, even a false one?"

Sarah grinned lightly. She should have known the Great Mother would provide comfort to Olivia; after all, she spent her days hunting down people who attacked women. The young knight met Olivia's eyes squarely. "What did she sound like?"

The detective frowned as she thought about it. "Wolves. And the wind, whistling through a valley."

Sarah's grin turned into a genuine smile. "That sounds like the Great Mother Goddess to me. Don't worry, you aren't going insane. I'm sure the Goddess just wanted to reassure you, not make you question your sanity. The Gods don't like being called upon every other day, but who knows? Maybe you'll meet her before you go back. It's Winter Solstice tomorrow; that's when the Gods come down and bless stuff. I'm hoping for a visit from the Great Mother; she _might_ shed some light onto the whole 'assassination attempt' thing that happened last night."

"'Might'?" Olivia asked, a frown on her face.

Sarah shrugged. "There are rules. I don't pretend to understand them."

Olivia just shook her head, her hands in her pockets, and they turned around just in time for a horse to nudge into Sarah's chest. "Well hello Topaz. And Casey." She nodded to the attorney, who looked uncomfortable.

"Ah, I was too embarrassed to ask anyone else… but can you help me down?" She asked, and Sarah broke out in a grin.

"Lesson Number One. In a group like this, what you just asked will spread like wildfire. And Topaz will have told Daine by now that you can't get down." Sarah grinned as she held up her left arm. "And you'll have to ask someone else. Why didn't you go to one of the guys?"

"They've been laughing at me since I first tried mounting a horse. Olivia; would _you_ help?"

Sarah laughed as the detective helped the other woman down. Topaz snorted, even as Casey sent a half hearted glare her way. Sarah held up her hands, apologetic. "Hey, I'm sorry, but I just find it funny that you could dismount by yourself yesterday, but today you need help."

"I don't know why, but I just couldn't get a rhythm this time; I tried three times but couldn't swing my leg over." Casey muttered, and Sarah patted Topaz.

"You're a good girl; why didn't you kneel for her?"

Daine's approach provided the answer. "She said she knew us twoleggers find that embarrassing. I brought you and Olivia some lunch; I'm sorry, Casey, but I didn't realise you were with them."

"So it's Casey and Olivia now?" Sarah asked, accepting the wrapped package of rolls, fruit and a full waterskin. "You like them then?"

Daine shrugged. "I can't judge them because their past experiences make them suspicious."

She offered a tentative smile to the two older women; they returned it, and Sarah made 'Aw' noises. "Kodak moment. How cute. Alrighty, I need you all to help me think up defences against Alanna's invariable 'stay in the carriage and lie down' argument. I feel like riding – sorry Casey, but I'm kicking you off – and I need to get the healers off my back."

Daine shook her head, a grin on her face. "Not a chance. No argument _I_ used has _ever_ worked, and I've tried everything."

TBC…


	13. Chapter 12

A/n... Come on people! Review...

Chapter 12:

Sarah couldn't keep the grin off her face, much like Alanna couldn't keep the scowl off of hers. She had won the argument to ride the rest of the way, using the excuse of a rattling carriage jostling her broken bones. It was a close one, but the Lioness had had to rush off to deal with a problem – the bane of a Commander in the King's Own - so Sarah had just mounted Topaz and she rode off with the procession before Alanna could return and force her onto a carriage.

Now they were climbing the hill that led to Corus, and Sarah was waiting to see the reaction of the earthlings, who were riding in the carriage beside her, with Daine steering yet again. The cloth sides had been rolled up to provide a view; when they crested the hill Sarah heard several gasps.

"Man, that is _cool._" Fin breathed.

Olivia just gaped at the sight, and Sarah saw Casey and Elliot share amused glances. The sight was spectacular; the outskirting village swept out from a giant castle in a vast oval, stopping at a riverbed on one side, with a forest bordering another side. Snow littered the landscape, casting an almost magical look to it; Balor's Needle topped the view off, looking over the land, its tower higher than the tallest point on the castle. "Welcome to Corus, home of His Royal Majesty, King Jonathon of Conte the Fourth."

Daine glanced at Sarah, an amused look on her face, which she correctly interpreted as 'Be nice, you reacted the same way when you first saw it from this angle.'

Sarah shrugged, and they rode along with the caravan down the hill and through the city, making a grand procession; the King's Own in their powder blue tunics and armour, the Riders in their uniform brown. The youngest knight in the procession smiled at a figure in the crowd; Casey noticed her waving.

"Who's that?" She asked, and Sarah glanced over.

"The King of the Rogue." She answered, an answer that the attorney found cryptic at best.

"Who?"

"The King of Thieves, to put it in terms you'll get." Sarah amended.

The woman frowned. "You're friends with a thief?"

A laugh, and Sarah replied, "Don't say that too loud. All these people riding with us have orders to arrest him on sight."

"Why-" Casey's frown deepened.

"Shh. It doesn't matter. We're almost at the castle."

As they passed through the gates Sarah split off from the group, making a beeline for several figures standing to one side. So did Thayet, Alanna, Numair and Wildcat. Daine followed several moments later with the earthlings in tow. "Majesty." Sarah bowed to Jon, who returned the gesture. "Raoul, how're you doing, buddy?"

"A far sight better than you, I'm assuming." He eyed her broken arm with a raised eyebrow.

"Pfft, this? This is nothing. You should have seen me _yesterday._" She grinned at him, but they could all see it was strained at best. "Gary, what's been happening?"

"The usual. Running this country for Jon." He grinned at her and clasped her hand, patting her on the shoulder.

The King ignored Gareth the Younger's comment as he greeted his wife, before gesturing up the steps. "I've called a meeting of the Inner Council, for right now, if you're up to it." Sarah glanced back at her 'guests', and Jon's eyes traversed the group slowly. "Of course, any insight your friends could provide would be most valuable. If they don't wish to attend, I'll have someone show them to quarters in the guest wing."

"Well?" Sarah asked them, "Do you want to come to a meeting with the Inner Council? Wait a minute, don't answer. Will there be food there, Jon?" She turned to the king with a hopeful grin. When he nodded, rolling his eyes, Sarah turned back to the earthlings and repeated, "Well?"

They exchanged glances before shrugging. Casey put their silent exchange into words. "I think it would be best if we stayed with Sarah, Your Majesty." Having been one of the two earthlings to have already met him, she punctuated the statement with a short bow, doing Sarah proud.

Jon smiled in amusement and gestured again up the steps. "Shall we?"

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"Perhaps you'd like to make the introductions?" King Jon suggested, and Sarah blinked in surprise.

They had come straight into the Inner Council chamber and sat down; it hadn't occurred to her to introduce anyone. "Ah, yeah." She yawned; she couldn't help it, she was still tired from the healing. "Alright, Captain Donald Cragen, Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak, Doctor George Huang, and Detectives Olivia Benson, Elliot Stabler, Odafin Tutuola and John Munch, may I present -" Another yawn nearly cracked her jaw.

Jon eyed her with amusement. "Maybe we should adjourn the meeting until you've had some sleep."

She waved him off, rubbing her eyes as Alanna finished the introductions from her seat next to the younger knight. "Numair, Daine, Wildcat, Queen Thayet and Buri you know. May I also present His Royal Majesty King Jonathon of Conte the Fourth, His Royal Highness Prince Roald, King Jonathon's oldest son, Baron Sir Myles of Olau, my father, and the Crown's Spymaster-"

"That's why Kerri would have been replaced if she'd spied on you." Elliot interrupted, and Sarah shared a grin with the other occupants of the room.

"Yes Elliot." She answered, deadpanned. "That's _exactly_ why Kerri would have been replaced if she'd spied on Alanna."

"Spying on my lass, was she?" A lilting voice from the door made the others turn around.

"Nah, spying on this lot. Nice to see you again, Cooper." Sarah nodded to the man who sat on Alanna's other side.

"It's Cooper now is it, lass?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You missed the introductions. His name-" She pointed to Huang. "Is George too. I was hoping to avoid confusion."

The former King of the Rogue and the _real_ Spymaster nodded slowly, taking in the new group with sharp eyes. After Sarah had introduced everyone, _again_, Alanna continued naming all the Tortallans in the room. "Knight Commander Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak, the Commander of the King's Own, Sir Gareth the Elder, advisor to the King, My Lord the Provost-"

Sarah interrupted her for the benefit of the earthlings. "That's like the head cop… guy." She flashed a grin to the sharp old man, who returned it with the faintest shadows of a smile.

Alanna nudged her into silence before finishing, "And the Head Magistrate-"

"Head judge… guy." Sarah explained.

"Duke Turomot." Sarah received another nudge for her efforts.

When she was finished, she turned back to Sarah. "I really think we should postpone the meeting. You wasted your energy riding the rest of the way here. You need some sleep."

Sarah sent Alanna a dirty look. "The sooner we get through the meeting, the sooner I _can_ go to bed. I'm not sleeping until I know what we're going to do about my… situation. I'd rather I wasn't knifed on the next corner I turned."

"We won't let that happen." Raoul promised seriously.

"Oh, I know." Sarah tried for a light tone. "I'd just rather not dislocate the fracture by punching the guy in the head."

A rueful grin from Gareth the Younger. "You just can't keep out of trouble, can you?"

"How is this _my_ fault?" Sarah asked, a petulant frown on her face.

"You're the unluckiest person I have ever met." He replied with a chuckle. "You attract psychotic killers like no one I know."

"I do _not._" Sarah replied. "The Gods send me on missions, and it just so happens that sends me to the general vicinity of psychotic killers and complete nutcases-" At a snort from Alanna and Numair, she glared at everyone sitting around the table. "And if any of you make a mention of nut jobs, or nut cases, or any other reference to an unfortunate story that you _may_ have heard, I'll…" She trailed off with a frown. "Do something. That I'll think of later."

There were grins around the table, as well as a guilty look from Olivia, until Jon cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should get started. If you wouldn't mind telling us what happened?"

"When's dinner?" Sarah asked instead, and as though on cue a footman entered the room, bowing, before maids entered with trays of food. A grin lit Sarah's face, and she didn't bother with good manners, digging in before the King.

Alanna shook her head. "One day we need to drill some manners into you."

The younger woman shrugged. "Why? I'm good enough at pretending like I have manners in public, and everyone here knows I get cranky when I get hungry."

The Provost grinned wolfishly; the Magistrate muttered something about disrespectful youths. Jon just grinned and started eating. Partway through the meal he put his fork aside. "Now, Sarah, what happened when the Spidrens attacked?"

She swallowed before answering. "I heard a couple of twigs snap when I went fishing for dinner, and again when I was currying (A/n, NOT COOKING!!!) the horses. I didn't notice Topaz was scared out of her wits until the second occasion; that's when I called Numair over and asked if he could put up a shield. When he said it'd be better if we lay some gems, y'know, for boundaries, we set them around the camp. Just in the nick of time, too, cause that was when the Spidrens attacked."

"And then?"

"I asked the first Spidren to give me a reason _not_ to kill it, and then when it wouldn't I shot it. Then I asked the second one how many of them there were, and he wouldn't answer, I shot him too. And then the _third_ one actually told me how many there were in the nest, and that some mage had promised them free run of a village if they attacked me. The only thing he could tell me was that the mage had a funny accent and dark blue magic. I asked him whether he was going to kill people if I let him go, and Numair watched for a lie using eyesbright. He caught the lie, so I shot him too."

There were several nods around the table; Jonathon folded his hands in front of him. "And then?" He prodded gently.

"And then Numair kept the shield up and we contacted Alanna, to try and get back up, because the fact that someone had hired a bunch of Spidrens to kill me had us all worried. About an hour before Alanna was set to arrive the mages attacked. There were seven hurroks, and they were riding two of them. The man, I didn't see him very well, but he might've been K'mir, had yellow magic, and he attacked first. The woman was white, with teal magic. Numair'n me both knew we couldn't keep the shield up; not with the power them two were pouring into it. So I summoned my Nimbus 2001 to try'n draw them away, which worked a little too well. I don't know what happened afterwards with Numair, Wildcat and my friends here, but the mages attacked me for a little while, and I defended myself with my wand. I got rid of the hurroks without riders, and that was when the stormwings attacked." Sarah grimaced. "I dodged as fast as I could, but they had me in a perfect pincer movement. The male mage managed to connect with a fire spell, and my broom became unresponsive, and a stormwing finished it off by slicing the top bit off with its wing. I fell, so I did the first thing that came into my head and tried summoning the stormwing, which _kinda_ worked. Anyway, I fell through the tree canopy and let go of the stormwing, before hitting a really, _really_ big tree."

"It wasn't _that_ big." Wildcat amended.

"It _felt_ that big." Sarah retorted churlishly.

As Numair told what happened when she had left them to their headlong flight, Sarah rested her head on her arms, leaning on the table, and felt her eyelids droop. A yawn escaped her lips, and her eyelids slid shut. When Jon noticed, he held up a hand for quiet. "Now that she can't deny anything, Numair, I want to know what you think would happen if she went up against the two mages by herself, even if she's at full power."

The Black Robe mage glanced at Sarah sadly. "I think it'd be close, but they'd succeed in their mission. Sarah would be dead."

Jonathon pursed his lips as varying levels of shock crossed the faces of the occupants of the room. "Then she needs to have a permanent guard. One of you two need to be with her at every moment of every day." He addressed the last part to Alanna and Numair.

Alanna nodded seriously before Jon signalled for her to shake Sarah awake. "Come on, let's get you settled in your room."

"Wha- huh?" Sarah looked around with bleary eyes. "Damnit. Alright, alright, I'm going." She didn't notice the serious expressions on everyone's faces, or the fact that Numair, Daine, George Cooper _and_ Alanna stood to escort her and the earthlings to some rooms. After all, too many guards were better than too few.

As she stood Alanna hugged her around the shoulder. "You push yourself too hard, you know that?"

"I do _not._" Sarah muttered, but she allowed herself to be led out of the room, and down the corridor.

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"Alright, so I'll stay with her, and you get the others settled in the guest room." Alanna spoke in hushed tones; Sarah was sleeping uneasily in the other room.

Numair nodded and herded the earthlings out of the room. Daine followed, while George Cooper stayed behind and wrapped his wife in a tight hug. "Don' worry, lass. She'll get through this, and we'll find them that want her dead, and make them pay."

"I know." Alanna answered in a whisper. "But all we know about the people that want her dead is that they have at least three mages in their employ. Three powerful mages. And resources enough to offer a dozen stormwings enough to make them attack Sarah."

"Don't worry, lass." He repeated, kissing her on the forehead and leading her to a chair, pulling her down beside him.

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"So…" Munch began, but Olivia, Elliot _and_ Fin shot him death glares.

"We don't want to hear any conspiracy theories right now, Munch." Olivia warned. "Whatever it is you think, whoever you think is behind it all, we don't want to hear it."

"Just hear me out." He insisted. "I think it's the Tyrans."

"Oh, here we go." Fin groaned, shaking his head.

"They want to go to war with Tortall, so they're going to kill a symbol of hope for this country. Sarah's like an oracle, or a prophet, or something, and it would be a morale crushing blow if they lost her." At this Daine and Numair shared an amused glance.

"Right." That was Numair. "Perhaps you shouldn't be accusing foreign ambassadors of having anything to do with this situation without proof. Here we have something called 'Trial by Combat'. Basically, if someone takes offence to your accusations you'll find yourself in a duel."

That shut Munch up, and he walked on in silence until they reached a door three down from Sarah's. "Sorry, but the others are taken up by visiting nobility." Daine explained. "I'm sure you're close enough to Sarah for her not to be anxious about you causing trouble."

"_She's_ worried about _us_ causing trouble?" Casey questioned.

Daine cast her a quick grin as she opened the door and gestured them inside. "Yeah, she's funny that way. If she didn't have a broken arm, she'd probably already have three duels lined up for tomorrow, but she's worried about you lot making trouble."

"What do you mean, if she didn't have a broken arm?" Numair snorted. "That just means she'll have _five_ challenges by the day after tomorrow. Opportunistic Conservatives will see the bandages and figure it's time to restore some of their lost honour."

"Restore lost honour?" Elliot scoffed. "By fighting an injured woman? How does _that_ work?"

Numair shook his head ruefully. "It doesn't, but they'll take any opportunity they can. And I doubt Sarah will refuse."

"Because she likes to duel?" This question from Huang.

"That, and the fact that she likes to beat some sense into people that think women can't fight…" Daine answered with a grin. "Don't worry. Her left arm will be properly healed by tomorrow, and unless someone new decides they want to take a potshot at her, they really don't have a chance at winning."

"She's that good?" Casey asked, impressed.

Daine and Numair shared a look. "She was trained with the sword by the _best_ swordsman in the country, and none of the Conservatives are willing to admit that Shang arts are any use in a fight between nobles."

"Wildcat's the best swordsman in the country?"

"No. Alanna is. But the fact is Wildcat has taught Sarah three _other_ types of sword work, and Sarah's been taught a type of sword work that no one here has _any_ experience with in the dimension from her last mission." Daine explained. "She rarely loses ground in a duel, just using the sword skills of a knight, but if she does she'll pull out the Shang or Jedi moves."

Numair interrupted their response. "You've each got a room; I'll see whether I can't rustle you all up some spare clothes-"

"Try Kuri Tailor." Daine interrupted. "It might be Rider supplies, but the palace seamstress will have an apoplexy if you tell her we need clothes for seven people, _today_, in the middle of Midwinter festivities, with Winter Solstice_tomorrow_."

Numair nodded and walked out the door with a wave. Daine was about to follow, to check on Sarah, when Casey called out, "Wait."

She turned at the door, looking back at the attorney and the people arrayed around the room behind her. "Yes?"

"I can't speak for the rest of these guys, but I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions about your relationship with Numair."

A grin graced Daine's face. "Thanks." And she walked out the door.

When she had left the room was silent. "Well." Cragen began. "I'm beginning to think this is all just one mass hallucination that won't end. Anyone else?"

"It was interesting…" George began. "The King treated Sarah, Alanna, Numair, Daine… everyone in that room as though he wasn't royalty. When they stepped through the door and the meeting began it was like a meeting of peers, not of a king and his subjects. And Queen Thayet didn't act like would be expected from a queen."

"Trust _you_ to analyse the behaviour of the King and his wife while we're stuck here under the care of someone that has a price on her head." Elliot muttered. "Does anyone else think that if we aren't careful, we'll end up as collateral damage?"

Olivia shook her head as she investigated a room that came off of the main living room. It had a bed, a desk and a trunk at the base of the bed, as well as a screen to get changed behind and a little room she assumed was the 'toilet'. "Not likely. Not unless the assassins succeed in their mission; she almost died drawing them away from us last time. I believed her when she said she wouldn't let anything happen to us."

There were a few murmurs of assent, and they sat in near silence until Munch noticed the book case with history books in the corner. When the others saw the direction he was heading, they groaned and headed for their individual rooms, worrying or wondering, depending on their individual natures.

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"What are we going to do if we can't find the person behind all this soon?" Raoul asked. "Sarah won't take the body guard idea very well when we tell her, and if I know her at all she'll want to be a part of the investigation, which I'm assuming we won't allow."

"You're assuming correctly." Jonathon replied seriously. "And you're right, I don't think she'll be receptive to the idea for very long. Maybe I should suggest she takes her friends to one of the other dimensions."

"That'd just be prolonging the inevitable." The Provost growled. "If she disappears they'll sink back into the shadows, to wait for her return. Of course, if she could get _help_ from those dimensions…"

"How would that help? Dragging more people into this mess?" Gary frowned, and his father answered for him.

"You've met some of them. They'd be enough to put a pause in anyone's step. She could ask Skywalker for help, or see whether that great wizard that she and Alanna told us about would be willing to come for a few weeks, to help us ferret out the conspirators." Duke Gareth the Elder replied.

"The problem we have with_that_ idea," Prince Roald began with a soft frown, "Is that I doubt she'd go to those dimensions and ask for help, and none of _us_ can. She won't be willing to risk her friends' lives by asking them to help out in so dangerous a situation, and she's got too much pride, anyway. Which is probably why she won't be willing to seek refuge in those dimensions either."

"We can discuss her self pride later." Turomot began. "We need to decide on a punishment for the person looking to have her killed. Noble or not, we need an appropriate punishment for the scum trying to kill the Messenger for the Gods."

Myles had been sitting thoughtfully, and now he chose to speak. "I don't think the punishment should be any different from the person trying to kill an ordinary member of the nobility. The Gods will punish them appropriately when they make their way to Mithros' Court, but I don't think it's our place to punish them differently. It would be presumptuous of us to do so."

They sat in silence for a moment, before the King stood with a sigh. "Thankyou all for giving up your time and putting your tasks on hold for this meeting. Any thoughts you might have for a solution to our problem, please bring them to me. I'll see you _all_," He glared pointedly at Raoul, who had been trying to escape the Midwinter balls since they had started, "At the ball tonight."

When they had trickled out of the room, leaving him and Thayet alone, the Queen asked, "Are you going to make Sarah go to the ball? I know the Tyrans are getting antsy, but…"

"No." He answered. "Now's not the time to parade her around. I'll _request_ her presence for tomorrow's ball, but I doubt she'll come if it's just a request. We need to deal with one problem at a time; and Sarah's is more urgent."

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"So… How are we going to tell her?" Alanna asked, peering into the room where Sarah slept fitfully.

"Shotgun not telling her." Daine replied, using a term she had learnt from the woman in question.

Alanna and Numair shared a glance. "Well _I'm_ not telling her." Numair spoke first.

"Why should _I_ have to tell her?" Alanna frowned.

George sighed. "You two act like children. _I'll_ tell her, when she wakes up."

The two mages shared a grin. "Works for me." Numair shrugged.


	14. Chapter 13

A/n. Okay, so people have been slacking off on the review front lately, but I DID get a 'story alert' for this story, so I'll update anyway. Thankyou for the alert, by the way, 'The-Letter-D', i'm pleased to see people are still interested by this story. Read on!

Chapter 13:

"So you're saying I need a babysitter." Sarah stared at George, with an expression on her face as though he had grown a second head.

"Not a babysitter, lass." He smiled patiently. "A guard. And it won't be that big a deal; you spend a lot of time with Numair and Alanna anyway."

"Yeah, but when they bug me I storm off!" Sarah exclaimed. "And with the 'Nut Job' thing, I'll want to storm off more than ever, and I won't be able to because they're my body guards! And who the hell decided I needed a body guard?!"

"The King, lass. After Numair told him that if you went against the two mages by yourself you'd probably lose." George answered, amused by the expressions that flitted across her face. Disbelief, annoyance, and finally anger.

"I'm gonna kill him!" She stood, ready to barge through the door and knock Numair on the head.

The former thief blocked the way, placing a hand on each shoulder and forcing her back down onto her seat. "Nay, lass, you won't. Because he's right. Now, you can either agree to stay with one of them, or the King will order you placed under lock and key, with one of them guarding the door. What would you prefer?"

Sarah glared at him before dodging around, storming out the room. "So you two agree with this?" She demanded of Alanna and Numair, who sat speaking quietly with Daine, Casey and Fin. When she had stormed into the room they had looked up, a wince on their faces.

"Sarah, it's too dangerous for you to be left alone right now." Numair tried.

"Don't. I don't want to hear it." She flung herself into a chair next to Fin, who watched her carefully. "What're you looking at?" She snapped.

"I'm looking at some kid that's meant to be all grown up and the Messenger for a bunch of Gods, and she's acting like a five year old." He retorted, shocking her out of her anger.

Sarah blushed, before she sighed. "I'm sorry. Thanks Alanna, Numair, I know this'll put a strain on both of you. I'll try not to put any more stress on you."

"Are you hungry?" Alanna asked, automatically reverting to her healer instincts.

Sarah shrugged. "A little. What time is it?"

"The last bell rang an hour and a half ago." Alanna answered.

When Sarah noticed Fin shaking his head, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's this funky time system. Candles and bells…" he shook his head ruefully.

Sarah grinned. "It takes getting used to. One bell, or one candle, is one hour. Obviously, half a candle is half an hour… it's actually pretty easy. Anyway, I'll make do with an apple or two. Wouldn't want to wake anyone up, and I'd rather not deal with the digestive implications of my own cooking." Sarah shook her head.

Numair chuckled before standing. "I think it's time I went to bed. Daine, coming or staying?"

A yawn was his answer, and she picked up a sleeping bundle Sarah hadn't noticed, carrying Sarralyn, their daughter, out of the room. Named for Daine's mother, Sarah called her 'Lynnie' to save confusion. Sarah walked them out of the room. "Are your parents coming for a visit tomorrow?"

Daine nodded, and Sarralyn shifted in her arms. "Did you want to meet them? I know you haven't yet; you've been too busy with missions for the Great Gods or King Jon."

Sarah smiled. "That'd be great, but I wouldn't want to intrude. I know you only get to see them a couple of times a year."

"No, no, it'll be fine. They said they wanted to meet you last time they visited." Daine explained.

Sarah shot her a glance as the Wildmage passed the sleeping girl to her father. "They aren't after me to do a mission, are they?" She looked suspicious.

Daine laughed. "No, no, of course not." Sarralyn chose that moment to wake up, and started crying. "I guess that's our cue to leave."

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The morning of the Winter Solstice rolled around, and Sarah awoke to a figure standing over her. She tensed for a moment, her hand reaching under her pillow for the dagger she had placed there the night before, until she realised the figure was glowing slightly in the early morning light, and she recognized the Great Mother Goddess.

Sitting up quickly, Sarah grinned as she sketched a quick, seated bow to the Goddess. "An honour, as usual."

"My daughter." The Goddess inclined her head slightly before sitting on the bed beside her. "You have been busy since we last spoke."

Sarah laughed. "Yeah, it's been one of those weeks. How have _you_ been?"

The ivory woman chuckled softly. "You are the only one of my subjects that asks how _I_ am, especially on this particular holiday. But I am well. Is there anything bothering you, my daughter?"

"Oh, not much. Mithros' little stunt, you know, how he stranded a bunch of people from another dimension here, under _my_ protection, when I can't even protect myself that well from an assassination attempt." Her voice was light, but her jaw clenched as she said the last part.

"Are you recovered from your injuries?"

Sarah clenched her left fist and felt around her ribs. "Yep. Of course, that doesn't matter that much if I get attacked again. I need to keep the others close, but if I do and I'm attacked I can't effectively defend them _all_. It's a catch twenty two."

"The assassination attempt has you concerned?" The Great Mother asked.

Sarah just gave her a look that screamed 'Not Funny' before sighing. "Yes. Very. I don't know what I'm going to do… we have _no_ leads, _no_ clues, nothing at all to tell us what's going on, except that the person that hired the Spidrens was a man with dark blue magic and an accent, and that whoever's pulling the strings has power enough to hire three powerful mages, and offer stormwings enough to attack me, as well as Spidrens. And now my friends are going to risk their lives by hanging around with me, day in, day out, to make sure the mages don't kill me, and I just don't know what to do…"

She was ashamed to feel tears on her cheeks and hastily wiped them away. The Goddess placed a hand on her shoulder, causing energy to jolt through her body, before saying, "There is no shame in showing your emotions. You _should_ be upset. Someone wants you dead, you will worry people if you act as though it does not bother you."

Sarah met the Goddess' eyes. "Can you shed any light on the matter?"

The Mother shook her head. "It is unfortunate that we cannot. Not everything in this realm is made clear to us, and neither myself nor my brother know of the person behind the attacks. I will enquire with my other siblings, but we cannot interfere too much. There are-"

"Rules. I know." Sarah stood and walked to her desk, where a pitcher of water sat. She poured herself a cup and glanced sidelong at the Goddess. "I've never thought to offer you anything to drink before."

"It is always amusing to visit you, my daughter. Gods need no refreshments. I will get back to you when I can, but that may not be for some time." The Goddess placed a hand on an item on the desk; a soft white light emanated from the item, before fading, leaving it smooth and whole.

As the Goddess moved to leave, Sarah called, "Wait." When she turned around with questioning eyes, she asked, "Would you mind visiting with Detective Olivia Benson? She'd like to meet you, I think, considering you spoke to her when she was kidnapped by Martin Carter. I think it would solidify the fact that she isn't insane."

A soft smile lit the Great Mother's face. "I will."

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"Ma!" Daine threw herself into her mother's arms while Numair bowed respectfully to her father, Weiryn the God of the Hunt.

"Daine!" The Green Lady, the newest goddess in the village of Snowsdale, in Galla, hugged her daughter tightly in return. When they had finished their tearful greeting the older woman held her at arms length. "I'm to be a grandmother again?"

"You ruined the surprise." Daine scolded, before grinning. "He's going to look just like his father." She turned to greet her da, hugging him tightly while he wrapped her in muscular arms.

They were settled for a day inside; his appearance, bronze skin stripped with green and antlers that protruded from his head, tended to make people nervous. "Has this_man_ been treating you well?"

Both Daine and Sarra sighed. "You were going so well, dear." The older woman said. "You called him by his _name_ last visit."

Kitten trotted into the room, whistling at the Gods in greeting, and Sarralyn woke from her nap with a cry. Her grandmother walked into the adjoining room to comfort her just as there was a knock on the door. When Daine opened it to see Sarah standing there, with Alanna in tow, she grinned. "This is going to get confusing." She said by way of greeting, and stepped aside to let them in.

"We'll call Sarralyn Lynnie, your mother Sarra, and me 'hey you in the corner'." Sarah replied, and Daine shook her head in amusement. "And good morning and happy Winter Solstice, by the way."

She walked past her friend and noticed the tall God standing, watching her curiously. "Hey. You must be Weiryn. My name's Sarah, I'm a friend of your daughter's." She bowed to him with a quick grin. Gods either liked her or hated her because of her attitude.

Weiryn watched her closely, carefully, even as Alanna bowed deeply. "The tales of your insolence are true then. I always thought Mithros was being overdramatic."

"Yeah, sorry about that." She said completely without remorse. "Proper respect for the Gods wasn't drilled into me as a kid, so I kinda forget myself every now and then. I don't mean offence."

"And none's taken, dear. It's an honour to meet you." The woman that could only be Daine's mother hustled into the room, a giggling Sarralyn in her arms.

"The honour is all mine, Green Lady." Sarah bowed again, with a wink to Daine.

Weiryn hadn't stopped his examination. "So you are our Messenger."

Daine glared at her father. "She's not here as the Messenger for the Gods, Da. She's here as my friend, who I am introducing _as my friend_."

Sarah grinned. "Calm down, Daine. Yeah, I'm the Messenger. And what a _fun_ job that is. Why, do you have a mission for me?" She was jesting, but when he appeared thoughtful, Sarra slapped him on the arm.

"No he doesn't." She answered for him. A rap on the door interrupted whatever else she might have said. When Daine answered it, Sarah saw Casey standing in the doorway.

"Ah, Sarah-" She balked at the sight of the man with antlers. Gulping, she asked, "Is that another immortal?"

Sarah thought she heard Weiryn growl, and had to fight a grin. "No… this is Weiryn, God of the Hunt." Glancing in his direction, she lost the fight and smiled. "Don't be offended. They've known about Gods for exactly nine days and I haven't given them the crash course on etiquette when dealing with a deity. Excuse me." And she walked out the door, shaking her head and holding in laughter as Casey noticeably paled.

"He- he was a God? Oh my God… I mean…" She took a deep breath and peered at the door containing Daine and her family.

Sarah took pity on her and guided her a little way away. "Relax. What's up?"

"Elliot's just been challenged to a duel by some guy named Sir Ansil of Groten." Casey blurted. "And Olivia's been acting weird all morning."

"Gods, I can't leave you lot alone for one hour." Sarah muttered, but she grinned reassuringly. "I'll get the duel brushed over, and don't worry about Olivia. She had a visit from the Great Mother Goddess this morning; she's probably just really weirded out."

When they returned to Daine's room Sarah called to Alanna. "Guess what, I win the pool. It took Elliot less than a day to get challenged to a duel."

"What?!" The Lioness cried, mouth agape.

Daine groaned, and Numair looked thoughtful. "He didn't accept, did he?"

Casey winced, which was followed by several groans. "This'll be harder to smooth over than I thought." Sarah mused. "Oh well, I'll just pretend like you lot are from Greenstone, and pull the ol' 'I am liege lord of the challenged; as he is a commoner, I must fight in his place' trick, and beat the snot out of Groten for trying to pull a stunt like that."

Alanna shook her head. "When did this happen?"

"It was about twenty minutes ago. Groten said he'd duel Elliot tomorrow at noon…" Casey trailed off, a worried look on her face.

"Don't worry, we'll get it sorted out." Sarah patted her on the shoulder. One look to Daine and her parents, and she raised an eyebrow. "Want to make the introductions?"

She sighed and gave Sarah an impatient look. "Casey, this is my Ma and Da, Weiryn the Hunter and The Green Lady of Snowsdale."

Casey looked like she needed a seat urgently. "You're Gods… doesn't that mean that Daine's a God? Does that mean her daughter's half God?"

Sarah had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. "No, Daine isn't a God. Her mother was human when she had her; she's only a new God. As for the part God thing… it's a long story, but the only part of Daine that isn't human is her magic; that she gets from her father. Relax, Casey, and calm down. Really, I'd have thought you all would have gotten used to all the surprises by now. But keep this quiet, even from the others, alright? It's a secret." Casey just stared, and Sarah sighed. "I guess I'd better get her some tea to calm her down and deal with this duel problem we have. It was an honour to meet you, Weiryn, Green Lady. Perhaps I'll see you again, later, but I may be_babysitting_."

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Olivia stared at the ceiling, thinking over the events of the last hour. The flash of light had startled her into wakefulness; it was barely dawn, and she had wanted to sleep in. Sleepily thinking it was someone with a camera, and she was sleeping in the crib, she had grabbed her pillow, ready to throw it at whoever thought it was funny to take a picture of her sleeping.

Instead she found a tall, ivory skinned woman with sharp emerald eyes standing before her. When she opened her mouth to speak Olivia's jaw dropped; she recognized the voice, she had heard it only recently. "Good morning, my daughter."

"Y-you…" Olivia stuttered and backed up against the headboard of the bed, scrambling to get as far away from the woman as possible. Her voice shook. "What are you doing here?"

"Is it so unlikely that I have come to sit with you for time?" The woman asked, and Olivia gulped, aware she had no where else to run, and that the door was blocked by the tall figure of the woman.

"Why are you here?" She tried a different tact.

"For the same reason I spoke with you while you were in captivity; to reassure you. Our Messenger suggested you might still doubt your sanity after my last visit with you." The tall woman looked amused, if nothing else.

"And I'm doubting it right now, too." Olivia retorted. Meanwhile, she was thinking, _I am _so _going to get Sarah for this._ "Well, now that I've seen you, I can tell you're real, so thanks for that. I'm sure you're busy…"

"You are fearful." It wasn't a question, more a statement.

"Shouldn't I be?" Olivia asked, and the Goddess chuckled.

"Not of me, my daughter. I am proud of you, for the work you have been doing, considering the plight of your own family so closely relates to the plight of the victims."

Olivia tensed; her eyes narrowed. "That's none of your business. Get out."

"You need not fear your emotions, my daughter. They can be your ally, if you'll let them." The Great Mother spoke softly.

"I'm not your daughter." Was the reply Olivia gave as she glared pointedly between the door and the Goddess.

A chuckle, and the tall woman disappeared, with a final word, "I shall watch over you like you were, Olivia."

And now the Detective lay still on her bed, staring almost trancelike at the ceiling, with several thoughts rushing through her mind. _Sarah said she might visit. And she did. And I threw her out. Should I have done that, if she's a God? What if I'm going to be struck down or something for being so rude… and she knew so much. She knew about my mother… _

Her thoughts were interrupted by Sarah stalking into the room, a small smile on her face. "She make an impression, did she?"

Olivia glanced her way before asking with a dry mouth, "Is she vengeful?"

"Only to people who break their vows when they swore upon her. Both her and her brother, the Dark God, don't much like it when people swear by them and break that promise. Why, what did you do?" Sarah asked, an interested expression on her face.

"I kicked her out. She started talking about… she started talking about personal things, and I told her to get out." Olivia blurted, and Sarah laughed.

"Oh, that's one to be remembered. You're lucky it wasn't Mithros, he wouldn't have liked that one bit. I classify Gods into two categories; the ones that are amused by the antics of us monotheistically raised people, and those that are aggravated by it. You don't have to worry; the Goddess falls into the first category. I offered her water this morning and asked how she was; _apparently_ I'm the only one around here to do that. I think she thinks of us as 'quirky'. So, did she say anything interesting?"

"Just that she was here to reassure me, and that you had said I might be doubting my sanity. Next time, let me doubt my sanity, if it's all the same to you." Olivia said, and Sarah laughed again.

"Alright. I better go check on Elliot and find out just _exactly_ what he said to Sir Ansil of Groten; in the hour and a half that I've been awake, he's managed to get himself challenged to a duel. And the idiot accepted. You should show your face; everyone's getting worried about you."

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"You called Groten a chauvinistic moron. You can't go around saying things like that." Sarah explained patiently.

"It's a free country." Elliot retorted, before frowning.

"No, no, it's still a free country." Sarah assured him. "But that leaves Sir Ansil of Groten with the _freedom_ to run you through with his sword."

"Well he was being a complete ass." Elliot defended himself. They were walking together towards the King's study, with Alanna trailing behind them. She had fallen back when she had heard what Elliot had said. She knew Sarah wanted to lecture him, and decided the lecture would be more effective if he couldn't see her grinning from ear to ear. "He called Casey a whore."

"And he'll call me, Olivia, Casey and probably Alanna a whore many more times before I get you lot home. I just tell he can't afford my price and walk off." Sarah retorted. "And now I've got to deal with the mess you've created."

She knocked on the door of the King's study before allowing herself in. He looked up from the paperwork he was doing and grinned at her. "I've been expecting you. What would you prefer, nullifying the duel on the basis of Elliot here being a commoner, or would you prefer to call up old bylaw Fifty Two A and fight in his place?"

She returned his grin easily. "I see someone's been reading up on noble privilege. Fifty Two A,_please_."

"Consider it done." He smiled at Elliot, who was sitting churlishly in the seat beside Sarah. "Are you taking your friends to the Midwinter festivities in the city?"

Sarah frowned thoughtfully. "I hadn't thought of that. I suppose that'd be a good idea… I'd been wanting to ask _someone_ about _something_ down there, anyway." She held the King's gaze for a second before raising her eyebrows. He knew who she was asking, and what she was asking.

"Very well. Do you want me to assign a troop of guards-" He cut himself off as Alanna made the universal 'shut the hell up' gesture, knifing her fingers in front of her neck.

Sarah glowered. "Thanks, but no thanks. One babysitter is _more_ than enough, Majesty."

"Uh oh." Alanna murmured. "She's annoyed with you; she's calling you 'Majesty'."

"Sarah, it's for your own good." Jon said firmly. "And I'll not hear another word on the matter."

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Sarah had to wait for the palace seamstress to leave, clucking at the earthlings for leaving their fittings so late. Numair had supplied breeches and tunic shirts for the group from the

Rider stores, but King Jon had decided to be prudent and organise formalwear for the group, just in case Sarah decided to attend a ball or two. After a quick explanation to the earthlings, who were glad to get Munch away from the bookcase, they set out for the Midwinter festivities with Alanna and George in tow.

"Anything you see, anything you want, just tell me. You get hungry or thirsty, let me know." Sarah instructed. "I've got money enough on me to cover anything you want, unless you wander into the Raven Armoury."

"We'll be fine-" Casey began, but Sarah cut her off.

"Don't. If you want something, tell me. Consider it an advance on what I'm going to get paid tomorrow for kicking Groten's arse. Thanks Elliot, by the way. I don't think I've said that yet." Sarah grinned at the detective.

Cragen frowned. "You're _glad_ he got challenged to a duel?"

Sarah, Alanna and George Cooper shared amused glances. "Very. It'll be fun, and _no_ I'm not being overconfident. It's a matter of fact; he doesn't stand a chance."

"You've your training master to thank for that." Cooper advised. "You were trained by th' best."

Alanna shoved him playfully, and they continued their walk until they made their way to the bustling Lower City, where Players had arranged themselves on the sidewalk, juggling, singing or doing sleight of hand tricks to awe the passersby. There was a band in a courtyard to the left; people were dancing merrily to the upbeat tune they were playing. Stalls on the sidewalk were full of exotic wares or delicious food.

Sarah shooed the earthlings away to search the market place for items of interest while her eyes scanned the crowd. Picking out a familiar figure, she casually sidled up to him and spoke quietly. "I want to speak to the King."

"I been thinking you might." The young thief named Micah nodded microscopically. "I'll tell him for you. Stay in th' marketplace."

Sarah nodded and returned to the others, who were examining the wares of several stalls. Peering over Olivia's shoulder, she saw the woman looking at a tapestry with a golden kudarung flapping into a sunset. It was a work of art, and when Sarah spoke up from next to the detective's ear she almost dropped it in the dirt. "Nice. Flying horses are pretty much native to the Copper Isles. Kudarungs – that's what they're called – are relatives to the hurroks, but a lot nicer." She looked into the eyes of the merchant. "How much?"

"A silver noble for the noble." He inclined his head in a small bow.

"How about three coppers?" Sarah asked, and the man looked offended.

"My lady, perhaps you are not fluent in the making of fine silk tapestries, but three coppers does not come close to covering the manufacture of such a design!"

"It's not silk, for one, it's cotton." Sarah raised her eyebrows, as though daring him to deny it. "If three coppers doesn't cover the manufacturing, you were ripped off, my friend. I'll give you four, because I feel sorry for someone who can't tell the difference."

"I cannot part with such a piece for only four coppers!" He exclaimed, and Sarah shrugged.

"Oh well. Come on, Olivia. Let's go see what that stall has." As she turned to leave, turning the detective around with her, the stall keeper called out.

"Wait!" When she turned back around, a mildly interested expression on her face, he sighed. "You drive a hard bargain. Four coppers, _only_ because I like you."

After Sarah had passed the coins over and handed the tapestry to Olivia, she headed towards Casey, to see what she was looking at. "You didn't have to buy it for me, you know." Olivia said, and Sarah shrugged.

"Four coppers is small change. Like I said, don't hesitate to ask for anything, I've no problem feeding you or buying you things that you like. I- oh what are the boys up to?" She asked crossly, seeing Elliot, Fin and Munch closely examining a stall filled with crossbows and daggers. Walking over to them, she said, "Yeah, _so_ not buying you anything from here."

"My lady," The merchant began, a middle aged man with a pot belly. "We only sell the_highest_ quality of merchandise-"

"Yeah, right. That's why the blade on the last dagger I bought from you fell _off_. Come on, guys, if you want a weapon I know a half a dozen reasonably priced stores that sell proper blades and crossbows. I-" She cut herself off as she noticed a figure standing in the mouth of an alley, talking softly to George Cooper. Their eyes were on her, and Sarah narrowed her own. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

Trotting over to the man, she glanced around surreptitiously before following him into the alley. George remained at the mouth, chatting with a merchant that had set up shop there. When they were far enough into the darkened path, Sarah turned to the man, clasping his hand briefly. "Marek, how have you been?"

"Well, lass. I hear _you've_ had a spot of trouble recently." Marek Swiftknife, the longest surviving King of the Rogue answered.

"Yeah, I have. I don't suppose you've got any light to shed on the matter?" She asked.

"You need to be careful." He stated seriously. "Someone's bin trying t' recruit my men to take you down, and I aint certain of their loyalty anymore, not with the amount of money they were offered."

"Damnit." Sarah growled. "I was kind of hoping you wouldn't say that."

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to." He replied. "The men are asking why we need t' be protecting a noble, when there'd be more money in it to take you out. They're saying we should extort you for protection money." Marek broke into a wide grin. "It's just th' new lads saying that, from Port Cayne. None of the locals have even considered it."

"That, or they just haven't dared speak their minds to their King." Sarah mused aloud, and the sound of multiple soft footsteps met their ears before Marek could reply. She quietly drew her sword as he unsheathed two of what she knew to be _many_ knives hidden around his body.

"Majesty." One of the five young men bowed to Marek; Sarah didn't know him, but she saw recognition and wariness on the Rogue's face.

"Mossaf. I told you five to patrol the docks for nobles with full belt purses. What are you doing here, disobeyin' my orders?" He asked, his eyes narrow.

"Well, I see a noble with a full belt purse, right there." He pointed to Sarah, who kept her sword pointed towards the ground, but ready for a fight anyway.

"You forgettin', Mossaf, that she's under the protection of the Rogue?" Marek asked. "And who are your friends?"

"Just some mates I picked up, who-" He was cut off by a shout from the alley.

"Just move, old man! This is none of your concern!" A young lout shouted, which was followed by a grunt and a cry of pain, and Sarah could hear George Cooper as he replied.

"Who are you calling 'old man'? Sarah!" He yelled as three more men streamed into the alley. "Incoming!"


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Her attention had been drawn by the ruckus at the entrance to the alley; as she turned back to Mossaf she noticed three young men lunging at her with knives. "Bloody hell." She muttered as she dodged the first two and deflected the third before going on the offensive, kicking one man in the stomach hard enough to make him drop his knife and throw up, before parrying another attack of Mossaf's and slicing off three fingers from the knife hand of the other attacker, who clutched his hand to his chest and backed away, whimpering.

Marek was fighting the other two from Mossaf's group while George finished off the second of the three that had gotten past him. Turning back to the ringleader, she saw he was trying to scare her by tossing the knife from hand to hand. "I'm gonna deliver you t' the boss in little bitty pieces." He threatened.

Sarah laughed. She couldn't help it. "Not with that knife, you won't. It'll go blunt before you cut through the bones." At that he lunged, and Sarah lowered her sword, sidestepping the attack and bringing her knee up to connect with his jaw. It dropped him to the ground, where he lay motionless.

Marek was dealing with the last of the group; George had his booted foot planted solidly on the last of his opponents' back. "Well," Sarah began, grinning at the Rogue, "You certainly know how to show a girl a good time."

He shook his head. "Trust _you_ t' be joking at a time like this."

Alanna appeared at the mouth of the alley, followed closely by the earthlings; their jaws dropped in shock. "Hey, Alanna, could you fetch us some rope and some strong men of the Provost to help us carry this lot to the castle for interrogation? Someone hired them to kill me, and I'd like to know who."

The Lioness nodded and left. Elliot recovered from his shock and his eyes narrowed as he walked towards a stirring man. Picking him up and shoving him into a wall, he shouted in the man's face, "Who hired you?!"

Sarah could see how he was such an intimidating figure; tall and muscular, when his eyes filled with rage he probably put the fear of God into rapists and paedophiles. Now, however, was not the time for an interrogation. She moved quickly, pushing Elliot to one side and sliding a hand over the man's mouth, cutting off the sound as she pressed a dagger she had released from a spring loaded holster to his throat. "You answer that, and I kill you, got it? Slowly, and painfully."

"What are you doing?" Elliot yelled. "He was going to answer!"

"The minute he tries to answer your question he'll be killed." George Cooper explained quietly. "There are three suicide spells on him, to keep him from revealing his employer. We have to wait to get him to the palace and cleanse him of the spells before we can even _consider_ questioning him and his men."

Elliot looked dumbstruck, and Sarah thought she heard Fin mutter something about hoping that didn't catch on back home. Alanna arrived with rope and a troop of the Provost's Guard, just as Mossaf was coming around.

"Whore!" He snarled at Sarah, who rolled her eyes.

"Coward." She replied. "What, couldn't attack me on your own? Nine men not enough?"

He lunged for her, and she brought her booted foot to meet heavily with his temple. Crashing to the ground, he lay unconscious while she bound him with the rope and passed him off to members of the Provost's Guard. She turned to find Marek hiding a quarter of the length down the alley, and noticed the native law enforcers dutifully kept their eyes away from his hiding place. Pretending to be examining something on the wall by the hiding place, she spoke quickly and quietly out of the side of her mouth. "I know you'd probably like to deal with him yourself, but you'll understand that that's not possible."

"Th' Rogue should deal with their own problems." He spoke quietly, but met her eyes with a wicked grin. "Of course, with George bein' former _King_ of th' Rogue, I don't see how this'll be a problem. Let me know how it pans out; I want to know who's trying to recruit my men."

She stopped her false examination of the wall and patted his shoulder before moving back to the group. She noticed six bodies on the ground; she hadn't realised Marek and George had killed their opponents. Raising her eyebrow to Alanna's husband, she said, "Let's just hope one of the _live_ ones were the leader, hmm?"

He shrugged and hefted one of the three on his shoulders; it was the man with three less fingers. "Let's go, bucko. You'll be th' first I speak to."

Sarah was walking out of the alley, to follow George as he loaded the man into a carriage steered by a member of the Provost's, but Alanna stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and a shake of her head. Sarah pursed her lips and looked to the earthlings. "I hate to say this, but I think it would be best if we called it a day."

They trudged back to the palace; both Sarah and Alanna had swords out and were scanning the crowds warily. They reached the gates to find Yocep guarding them. He grinned when he saw her but that quickly faded when he saw the dark expressions on everyone's faces. Bowing them through the gates, he watched after them as they disappeared into the castle.

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Sarah had ordered a late lunch from the maids, to be served in the guest rooms. She and Alanna sat quietly, pensively, while the earthlings dealt with the events of the day in their own separate ways. They joined together at the table in the central room when the food arrived. Sitting in silence, the entire table heard Huang's question when he asked it. "The interrogation…" He trailed off, choosing his words carefully. "What _kind_ will it be?"

Sarah met his eyes, her expression somber. "I think you know what kind."

"Torture?" Elliot was less subtle.

Alanna shook her head. "Not torture, but George _will_ be persuasive."

"Why is he doing the interrogation?" Casey asked, choosing to ignore the implications of the word 'persuasive'. "Wouldn't the Provost, or the Magistrate, or the Spymaster do the interrogation?"

The knights at the table glanced at each other. "You might as well tell them." Alanna sighed, before meeting each of their eyes pointedly. "This is not to be uttered outside of this room, understood?"

"Myles is just a public figure head." Sarah said bluntly. "If everyone's watching him as the Spymaster, then no one's watching George. _He's_ the one that runs the show. And besides, the thugs that tried attacking me are more likely to talk if _he_ interrogates them."

"Why?" George Huang was curious.

"He kept a collection of ears." Alanna explained. "When he was the King of the Rogue. The streetfolk still fear him, which is a good tool for interrogation."

"He kept a collection of ears?" Munch's face was disbelieving. "Why?"

"Don't worry, he threw it out when he married Alanna." Sarah smirked. "The first mistake'd get you a warning, the second he'd take your ear, and the third he'd take the other ear and the rest attached." She quoted George near perfectly. "He'll use that as a tool in the interrogation. He'll say something like," At this she put on her best imitation of his lilting accent, "'D'you know who I am, lad?' and whoever he's interrogating will nod, too scared to speak. Then George will say, 'Then you know about m' collection, don' you?' and that'll get another nod. 'It used t' be the first mistake gets you a warning, the second and I take your ear. Do you know how many mistakes _you've_ made, lad?' and the man will gulp and say 'No…' and then George will say, 'You went against th' Rogue, lad. That was your first. And then you got caught. That counts as a second.' And that's when George will take out a dagger and hold it to the man's ear, before saying something like, 'But I'm getting soft in m' old age. I'll give you another chance to keep your ear. Just tell me what I want to know.' And that'll be the interrogation; he'll get whatever he wants from the man after that." Sarah noticed they were all staring over her shoulder. "What?"

"I didn't know I sounded like that, lass." His voice came from behind Sarah, and she cringed.

"Well, maybe a little. What did you find out?" She turned to face the thief, abashed at being caught at the impersonation.

"Jus' that a Tyran approached your friend Mossaf with th' job, and Mossaf swore a blood oath not to spill th' man's name. But he did say the man had dark blue magic, like your friend that hired the Spidrens." He glanced at the people sitting around the table. "You shouldn't've told them about the ears, lass."

"Hey, _Alanna_ told them." Sarah defended herself. "Don't blame me."

Cooper laughed and ruffled her hair, much to her dismay, before taking a seat next to his wife and helping himself to a slice of melon. Munch was the first to speak. "You said a _Tyran_ hired him?"

Fin groaned. "Not now, man."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Why, Munch? What do you think?"

"He thinks the Tyran government wants you dead so they can go to war with Tortall." Olivia explained, rolling her eyes.

Alanna, Sarah and George all went very still at the suggestion. "Surely they wouldn't dare…" Alanna murmured.

"They wouldn't risk the reprisals of the Gods…" George looked calculating.

"The Goddess said she didn't know who was behind it, but that she'd enquire among her siblings…" Sarah's voice was soft. "Is it a possibility?"

George was thinking. "My spies in the palace in Tyra were compromised last month; I haven't been able to get any more in there yet. The blue mage would have to have enough power to hire the two that attacked you; he'd have to be more powerful than them. Chances are, if he's Tyran, he's got something to do with the court there."

"But surely we'd have heard of the Tyran mage if he was that powerful; he'd have to be a Black Robe, or near enough to one." Sarah whispered before looking up sharply and meeting George's eyes. "When did we hear of Jat Krendice's death?"

"Three weeks ago." He answered, and as one they leapt from their chairs, running for Numair's rooms. The earthling's watched them go.

They sat in silence for a few moments. "What was _that_ all about?" Cragen muttered.

"I'd say they thought up a lead." Casey answered, her food forgotten. "Remember, Numair said that Jat Krendice had died trying to make a new… Word of Power, I think he called it. If the Tyrans were lying about that…"

"_If_?" A tall man at the doorway asked in an unusual accent. He stepped into the room, dark blue magic glittering in his hands. "Now, where'd the Messenger go?"

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"Numair!" Sarah burst into the room, sketching a quick bow to the seated Gods. "Pardon us, Green Lady, Weiryn, but I need to ask Numair something."

He stood, seeing Alanna, George and Sarah's expressions. "What's going on?"

"What colour was Krendice's magic?" Sarah asked without preamble.

"Dark blue, why-"

"My spies in the Tyran palace were compromised last month; he apparently died three weeks ago, and we found out from a man that tried to attack Sarah this morning that the man hiring everyone is a Tyran mage. He'd have to be powerful; black robe mage powerful." George answered, slightly out of breath.

"I-" Numair cut himself off, frowning as his expression turned distant. "The protections I put on the guest rooms have been disturbed. Someone powerful just entered the room, and it's not someone I recognize."

Sarah's eyes widened. "Oh no."

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"Tell me where she went." He said again, his face betraying a murderous, psychotic nature.

"I don't know. She just ran out of here." Casey answered as they all backed up, away from the table and the man with the glowing blue hands.

"Well then. I guess I shall have to wait for her return. Perhaps I should show her my anger at her having alluded me so many times." He spoke casually. "You guessed correctly, by the way. My death was a fake, but it gave me the cover I needed to hunt down the Messenger and organize her assassination. Alas, she proved more determined to live than I had anticipated. Who will be my first demonstration?"

"Why'd you come here?" Olivia wanted to keep him talking, to stop him from making any of them a 'demonstration'. "Why not just send your mages from the other night?"

"They failed me once before, so I terminated them." Krendice said it so casually. Olivia shuddered and pressed her back against the wall.

"Are you working alone, or are you under orders to kill Sarah?" She asked another question, hoping to delay enough for Sarah, Numair or Alanna to return and protect them.

"I have no issue with the Messenger, but war will be easier with her out of the way. Are you volunteering to be my first demonstration? Come here." He gestured to her and she felt her feet begin to drag at the floor. She scrambled for a purchase, trying to stay as far away from the crazed mage as possible. Elliot grabbed her hand and pulled as hard as he could, but her fingers were ripped from his as an invisible force held him and the others in place.

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Daine and George had rushed off to inform the King; they would be no use against a Black Robe mage. Daine's parents had grimaced, saying they would stay with Sarralyn; they couldn't interfere with the lives of mortals on so grand a scale. Numair, Alanna and Sarah had rushed back out of the room, heading back to the guest quarters, hoping to get there in time to stop Krendice from hurting the earthlings.

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When she was halfway across the room there was a shout from the doorway. "Protego!" Sarah pointed her wand – repaired that morning courtesy of the Great Mother Goddess – at the mage, moving slowly into the room as she placed herself between the mage and her friends. "You won't hurt them. I won't allow it." Alanna and Numair began a spell, chanting in Old Thak as a wind picked up from an invisible source.

The man took one look at Numair and spat, "Draper." Before throwing a bolt of energy at the pair, causing them to duck for cover. Sarah leapt forward, clapping a hand on the mage's shoulder.

"You and I are going on a little trip." She used her magic to turn the inner circle on the pendant Mithros had given her when she had first returned home. They disappeared, leaving the earthlings, Alanna and Numair standing in shock.

Olivia sank to the floor, her knees weak. Elliot propped her up, sitting her on a chair and pouring her a juice. "Where'd she go?"

Alanna punched the wall in frustration. "I don't know. I'm hoping it was to Hogwarts, to get Dumbledore's help, but I'm thinking if she didn't want us to risk our lives fighting him, she wouldn't want him doing it either. Knowing her, she's probably taken him to some deserted place where their fight won't hurt anyone. Damnit, she's not strong enough to take on a Black Robe mage by herself!"

"Do you think she went to the Hogwarts dimension, or to the New Republic dimension?" Numair asked, staring at the spot where the young knight and Black Robe mage had been.

Alanna scrubbed her face as Daine arrived with a cautious Jonathon and Thayet; they peered around the doorframe. "Where's Sarah?" He asked warily.

"I don't know. Probably that desert planet she told us about; Tatooine. That's where I'd go if I were going to fight a Black Robe mage that'll probably just _kill_ me without much trouble." Alanna ground out. "That way, even _when_ I lost, he'd be trapped in a huge desert with no real chance of escape."

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They reverted to reality in the crater of a long extinct volcano. Krendice spun around and blasted her with a bolt of energy. "What is this sorcery! Where did the palace go?" He roared at her, and she staggered to her feet, an eye on him and an eye on her surroundings.

This was the scene of her nightmares; she had faced the Three Sorrows here, and almost died. Carving a Gate of Idramm with the Dagger of Shakith in the volcanic ash that covered the crater, she had vanquished them to whatever Realm they came from, never in living memory to bother humanity again. There, in the centre of the crater, was the spot where she had carved the gate; the magic from the Dagger had transformed it into a permanent feature of black glass on grey ash. Somehow the crater had escaped the ravages of the wild; it was exactly as she had left it, right down to the splatters of her own blood.

"Where are we?" Krendice screamed at her, lashing out with a whip of blue fire. She dodged, moving to the center of the clearing, putting the Gate between her and Krendice, its 'open' end facing the enemy mage.

"We're in a place where you can't hurt anybody." She answered softly. "You'll never hurt another person again, Krendice. Not me, not my friends, not another innocent."

He lashed more fire at her; she simply flicked her wand and raised a shield. "I'm assuming you're familiar with a Gate of Idramm?"

He glanced down at the symbols in the ash in shock, and back up at Sarah. "You set this up!"

She shook her head. "No. This Gate has been here for almost two and a half years; drawn with the weapon of the Gods, it hasn't faded yet." Glancing up at him, meeting his eyes, she added, "You might be strong, but I'm not going to let anything happen to those I care about. And you threatened my friends. I'm going to finish you, Jat Krendice."

He ran, panicking. Seeing that he couldn't break through her shield and knowing what would happen to him if she activated the Gate of Idramm, he ran for the side of the crater. "That won't work." She called after him. "The sides are too steep, and the dirt is half volcanic ash, you won't be able to gain a purchase." Then she started to chant in Old Thak. The words came easily to her; memorized for her first mission when she was told what she was to do, she had repeated them in her mind over and over again as she climbed the mountain they now stood on.

Jat Krendice turned around to lash fire at her, to break her concentration, but her shield was still in place; it splattered across a dome of light green. The wind began to pick up, whipping Sarah's hair towards the Gate. Krendice slid down the side of the crater and turned fearful eyes on the black glass symbols. The wind was a roar in her ears; Sarah had to yell to be heard over it, each word in the ancient sorcerer's language pounding through the air like war drums.

She finished the last verse, and the wind felt like a gale ripping through the crater. Kneeling closer to the ground, she saw the ash around the Gate pick up in the wind and begin whirling around. Krendice wasn't faring as well as her; the Gate was sucking at him as it dragged him closer and closer to the portal. Sarah didn't rightly know what happened to creatures that got sucked into the Gate, but at that moment she didn't care. He scrambled on the ash, clawing for a handhold of some description, but it was just a matter of moments before his foot made contact with the glass symbols.

His scream chased him into the portal, and Sarah stared at it for a long moment as it the winds died down and the portal closed. Her vision turned black at the edges. Summoning the Gate by herself, without the weapon of a God, takes a lot of energy, she remembered vaguely, as her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

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It was nightfall in Corus, and Alanna was pacing anxiously. "She should have been back by now."

"Alanna, calm down. You're wearing yourself out." Her husband called from his seat. "We're all worried about her, but there's nothin' you can do for her right now."

"What if…" Alanna cut off the question before it could come out of Casey's mouth.

"No 'what ifs'." She snapped. "She'll be back."

"Jat Krendice was a powerful opponent; even _if_ she managed to defeat him," Numair ignored Alanna's glare. "Someone has to say it. Even _if _she managed to defeat him, the chances are she's worn out. She might be resting before she returns."

"Why wouldn't she return here to rest?" Alanna questioned his theory.

He didn't have an answer, so he returned to his brooding. Casey was wringing her hands, worried for her young friend and worried they wouldn't be able to return home if she hadn't survived. Daine had a sleeping three year old in her lap; her parents had returned to the Divine Realms earlier that day. The Wildmage was staring out the window, as though if she looked far enough, she might catch a glimpse of her friend.

Jon had left to make an appearance at the Midwinter ball, but Thayet had outright refused to attend any court functions until her friend was found safe and well. She was alternating between pacing on a parallel track to Alanna and sitting in a chair in the corner, fidgeting impatiently. They were all gathered in Sarah's rooms; they figured that would be where she would appear when she returned. No one was willing to think of what would happen if she _didn't_ return.

Wildcat was sitting crosslegged on the floor quietly; now she spoke up. "We all doubted her during her Ordeal of Knighthood. She survived that; she'll survive this."

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When she awoke it was nighttime, and ash covered the side of her face, sticking to the sweat that had left her cold and clammy. She glanced around, immediately recognizing where she was, and tensed. Then she remembered what had happened and allowed herself to relax a little.

Staggering to her feet, she retrieved her wand from the dirt a meter away and allowed a small moan to escape her lips. Exhaustion had hit her like a sledge hammer, and she'd been lying in an uncomfortable position for who only knew how many hours. Checking her reserves of her Gift, she winced. There was enough to get back to Corus, but not much else.

Sighing she called upon the magic, focusing on her rooms, and landed on teetering feet in a room full of people. "Ah, hi." And she let her knees buckle.

Alanna rushed forward to catch her, aided by Thayet, who had been in the middle of the 'pacing' segment of coping. "I'm alright. Just tired."

"What happened?" Alanna's voice brooked no argument; Sarah had to answer.

"I took him to the Gate." She spoke quietly. "The one I made for-" Her voice cracked, but she forced herself onwards. "Anyway, it was still there. It was _all_ still there, like it only happened yesterday. The blood hadn't even faded. I reactivated the Gate and sucked him in."

Thayet transferred all of Sarah's weight to Alanna, who helped her to the bed. "You need some rest."

Sarah nodded in assent before letting her eyelids flutter shut once more. She felt Alanna smooth her hair out of her face before darkness overcame her.

When Alanna closed the door to Sarah's bedroom behind her, she glanced at Numair. "She went back to the crater."

"I heard. And she said nothing had changed? None of the blood had faded… nothing?" He asked, a guarded look of surprise on his face.

"Apparently." She answered, her face mirroring his. The Tortallans were all sitting in silence, surprised their young friend had visited the place of her nightmares willingly.

The earthlings, however, were confused. "Alright, what's the 'crater'?" Elliot asked, sick of being confused by the subjects of conversations.

Alanna, Numair, Daine, Wildcat and Thayet exchanged glances. "It's the place of her first mission. She… she'd probably rather tell you about it herself, if you don't mind."

"I do mind." He snapped. "This whole trip, we've been patient. 'Oh, it's a secret, oh we don't want to tell you, oh he's not who we say he is, this guy actually is'. Now, I want an answer. _What_ happened at the crater for there to be blood splatters? _What happened_ that she doesn't want to talk about?"

Olivia stood. "El… It's none of our business."

"They made it our business when we were dragged here!"

"But _they_ didn't drag us here." Casey argued. "Their God, Mithros did. And Sarah's life is none of our business unless she decides to make it our business."

Alanna sighed. "If you keep arguing, she'll wake up. If you really want to know about her first mission, then I'll tell you. The rumors traveled around the palace and the city in a matter of days when she first returned; she'd probably rather you got the _right_ story than some of that codswallop. Her first mission was to defeat three creatures known as the Three Sorrows. They were Slaughter, Starvation and Malady. She shouldn't have survived the mission but… the Gods decided to grant her a second chance. For a _year_ afterwards, she woke up screaming. The only way she could manage the nightmares was to work herself into a stupor; to train all day, or find some other way to get rid of her energy, because if she wasn't bone weary when she went to sleep, she'd have to relive what happened. All of the thin scars you see on her body come from Slaughter; she was almost finished the spell to send them to another Realm when he leapt upon her, using his claws to-" She cut off, taking a deep breath. Wildcat picked up where she left off.

"Malady and Starvation had made her sick and malnourished; she looked like she hadn't eaten in months when she returned here. Slaughter finished her off, but not before she finished the chant. She finished the spell, and they were sent to whatever Realm they come from. I think what gave her the nightmares was the feeling of her life just… just leaving her. And the fact that she had accepted that she was going to die, and didn't fight it. The pain she went through…" Wildcat pursed her lips. "She was unconscious for two weeks when the Goddess returned her here."

The earthlings all stared in shock. Elliot opened and closed his mouth a few times before his glare softened. He didn't apologize, but that wasn't the kind of person he was. "She doesn't talk about it, not with anyone. Some people have pried the story out of her, but it takes a lot of digging to get any details out of her." Alanna laughed humorlessly. "Not so quick to insist you have a right to know all that now, are you? Sarah's been through some truly horrible events in her life, and that was the worst. Most knights have nightmares about the Ordeal of Knighthood; her first mission overshadowed even that."

"What's the Ordeal of Knighthood?" George asked, having filed away every piece of information he had just received under 'the Mystery of Sarah' in his mind.

A shadow passed over Alanna's face; Cooper pulled her onto his lap and kissed her neck, looping his hands around her waist. She met their eyes. "The Chamber of the Ordeal is used for a couple of different things; Squires enter it to become knights and princes enter it to become Kings. It tests you. A few years ago one boy left, raving, because the Chamber left him mad with guilt for the rape of three girls in the Lower City. The same year, it opened up on the body of another young man. If it finds you wanting, it'll break you. And I think it was harsher for Sarah; the Gods used her entering the Chamber to test whether she'd be ready for the main mission, so I think the Chamber threw more at her than it does others."

"And you all entered it? All the knights?" Huang's interest had been piqued.

"Yes."

"If you don't mind me asking, what did it show you?"

"We don't talk about it. It's custom; according to the lore of the Chamber, anyone that talks about their Ordeal apparently gets punished. I don't know how, but we don't run the risk. Only one person I've ever met has been granted permission to talk about it by the Chamber is the second female knight in living memory; Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, and that was only because she'd been granted a mission by it." Alanna explained. A cry from Sarah's bedroom, and Alanna sighed. "And now her nightmares have started up again."

TBC…


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

Staggering out of her bedroom with a yawn, Sarah plonked herself down in a seat at her table, noticing Alanna sleeping in a chair in the corner. Thayet was snoozing half hanging out of another chair, her mouth agape. George Cooper was backing into the room with a tray full of fruits and rolls; Jon followed him with a pitcher of juice and a tray of cups. When they noticed she was awake, she murmured quietly, "Good morning. What's the time?"

"About two bells before noon. If you're up, I'll go and get a clerk from the Magistrate's office to cancel your duel; even the _King_ couldn't get it cancelled without your's or Groten's signature, and he wouldn't sign. I think he's thinking he finally has a shot at beating you." Jon answered.

"Who says I'm cancelling the duel?" Sarah asked, taking a roll from the tray and scoffing it quickly. Two more followed.

"You can't honestly be thinking of dueling him. You just woke up, but you think you can beat him?" Jon's mouth hung open; he'd spoken loudly, and Alanna and Thayet were awake.

"What's going on?" Thayet yawned.

"Sarah wants to duel Groten today." Jon explained. George was standing quietly, an amused expression on his face.

"I say let her do it." Alanna's vote of confidence surprised her. "She's going to want to hit something when we tell her what we told her friends last night."

"What?" Sarah asked, sitting up straighter, her eyes flashing to the Lioness. "What did you tell them?"

"Elliot demanded to know about your first mission. I figured you'd prefer they heard the real story, rather than asking the maids and getting nothing but rumors in reply." Alanna sounded regretful. "I would have waited for you to tell them, but Elliot-"

"Was getting antsy, wasn't he?" Sarah asked, feeling tired once more. "Oh well. Thanks for telling them the real story, not what the rumors said. And you're right, I do want to hit something."

"Finish eating, and we'll head to the baths. You need a good clean," Thayet commented, gesturing to her still dirty face. "It will make you fell more human."

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"I can't believe she's dueling him." Casey stated. "She collapsed last night, and she's dueling him today. Elliot, why'd you have to go and get yourself challenged to a duel?"

"He called you a whore. Next time would you rather I kept my mouth shut?" He asked, watching as Sarah stretched at one end of the field, standing by herself. She'd banished her friends to the stands. To the earthlings she looked pale, and there were dark bags beneath her eyes.

Quite a crowd had gathered to see the duel between Groten and Sarah. The story of Sarah's departure and return had spread like wildfire through the palace; everyone wanted to see if he had what it took to beat her in her present state. Sarah unsheathed her sword and dropped the scabbard on the ground, stepping forward to meet Sir Ansil of Groten in the middle.

They exchanged perfunctory bows, and turned as one to bow to the King. "I can't watch. This is going to be a slaughter." Olivia shook her head.

Alanna and Wildcat, who were standing close enough to hear their talk, shared amused glances. "Look again." The Shang said proudly. "Sarah's standing up straight and tall; she's got strength enough to take on Groten. He's going to attack quickly, trying to force her to give up ground. She's not going to let that happen, instead she'll sidestep his attack and go from there. I think she's in a bad mood; she'll probably use her fists and feet to work off some of that tension."

They stopped speaking as Sarah and Groten fell into fighting stances; his face was cocky, hers was deadly serious. At the call of 'Guard', Groten lunged in, hard and fast, the move sufficient to drive itself through Sarah's body. If she had been standing there as it sliced through the air. Instead, as Wildcat had predicted, she sidestepped, bringing her sword out in front of her body to block any counter attacks. Then, completely going against her philosophy of sticking to knight combat techniques in duels, she brought her foot forward to strike his wrist, and his sword went flying. "Well." Alanna said. "That went quicker than I thought it would."

"Hold on, she's not done yet." Wildcat nodded to the field.

Normally, when she disarmed her opponents, Sarah would force them to surrender with a blade to their throat. Now, however, she lowered her weapon, kicking it away from herself, and dropped into an unarmed fighting stance. Ansil, eyes wide with shock, looked first to the King, then to the moderator of the duel. They both shrugged – they were Progressives – as though to say 'a duel's a duel, what's the problem with using your hands?' He slowly dropped into a fighting stance that mirrored her own.

Sarah's grin turned wicked, before she moved as quick as lightning, striking out with her foot to catch him in the solar plexus. He staggered back and she swept his legs out from beneath him, steadying herself with her hands as she spun quickly, dizzyingly. Groten hit the ground with a grunt before holding up his hands. "I yield."

Sarah glared at him for giving up so easily and turned, scooping up her sword as she moved to her end of the field. Alanna and Wildcat joined her. "Well that was different." Alanna admitted. "I think you finally scared him."

Wildcat shook her head, grabbing her by the shoulder. "Let's talk about the mistakes I saw in _that_ performance."

She groaned, before sighing. "Fine. How many laps am I doing?"

"How many mistakes did you catch?" Wildcat retorted.

Sarah thought over the duel. "Maybe… six. My stance wasn't wide enough when I went into guard position with my sword and I sidestepped too wide. And I think all of my attacks were a little sloppy; I was still pretty stiff from yesterday."

"I had it at five. You know those kinds of mistakes will get you killed in battle?" Wildcat asked mildly. Now the earthlings had joined her on the field.

"Yes, Wildcat." Sarah replied in a bored tone. "Making mistakes like that will get me killed, and probably the people under my command too."

"Take this seriously." She chided, before softening. "But the fact that you understand, and that you recognized a mistake that _I _didn't, I think I can let them slide. I'm still expecting the two thousand laps for your stunt with the raiders, though."

"Wait a minute, you were _serious_ about the laps?" Casey's jaw dropped, before something else crossed her face. "And what the _hell_ was that about? I thought you said you dueled with swords! You disarmed him in one move and then what, you wanted to beat the crap out of him?"

"Uh… yes." Sarah replied as though the answer was obvious. "He called a guest of _mine_ a whore, he challenged someone who he _knew_ couldn't defend themselves properly to a duel, and he's a complete pain in the arse. Elliot, he would have left you with as many broken bones as he could have without making you bleed. Here we duel to first blood; when you make your opponent bleed that's the end of the duel."

"That doesn't mean you should beat the living daylights out of him." The attorney replied, falling back on her legal training.

Sarah shrugged. "He can choose to give up at any stage in the duel; until then it's anyone's game. I was merely following the bylaws of this fine society."

Surprisingly, Elliot grinned. "This is my kind of place."

They made their way back up to the palace, walking through the hallways towards the mess hall, where they would all get some lunch, when Sarah noticed a figure walking down the hallway. "Give me a minute, guys." She peeled off from the group and trotted to catch up with the figure, and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

To the earthlings' shock, the younger boy immediately turned and threw a punch at her, followed by a kick at her head. Wildcat held Elliot back. "They're just playing. His name's Riley; he's a Page here, he had a bit of trouble with bullies so when she was knighted she _ordered_ him to train with me in the mornings. She's just testing how far he's come since she last saw him."

Meanwhile, up the hall, Sarah finished parrying his blows and slung an arm around his shoulders. "How've you been, buddy?"

"I was just on my way to watch your duel. Is it over already?" He asked, and she grinned.

"Buddy, I was facing _Groten_. What do _you_ think?" She grinned. "So how's the study going?"

"Pretty good. I'm serving at the Midwinter ball tonight, are you going to be there?" Riley asked hopefully.

Sarah sighed. "Fine. If I _must_. I _had_ been given a pardon from his Majesty's request to attend, but I figure my friends over there had proper court clothes made, and I wouldn't want to disappoint…" She grimaced in disgust. "I can't believe I'm _willingly_ going to a ball tonight."

He grinned, and she ruffled his hair. "Come on, let me introduce you to my friends."

She dragged him with her – he was notoriously shy around strangers and anyone he thought was important – and placed him in front of the group. "Alrighty, Olivia, Casey, Elliot, George, Fin, Munch, Don, meet Riley, a friend of mine. He's just started his fourth year as a Page, and the way _I _hear it, he's being looked at by some pretty high ranking Knights as a Squire."

Riley looked up in shock. "What? Who?"

Sarah shook her head with a wink. "I'm not telling. It'll depend on how you go learning the sword this year. I hear Alanna's gonna be teaching." She looked to the redhead, who grinned devilishly. Riley gulped.

The boy sighed. "I survived Wildcat… I can survive the Lioness, I suppose." The Shang mock glared, and he ducked his head with a grin. Meeting Sarah's eyes, he said, "If your duel is finished, I guess I'll head to the markets. This is the only spare time I get all year, I plan to spend it drooling over the Raven Armory, and wasting my pocket money on fried dumplings."

"Hold on, we'll come with. That is, if you lot want to." She glanced at the earthlings, who all shrugged. "Cool!" She said brightly. "Just let me get my purse, and I'll be back in a second."

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Sarah walked through the door of the dimly lit bar, a grin on her face. A cheer came up from the people seated in the corner. "Hey, Target Practice!" Sam, the King of the Rogue's second in command grinned.

Sarah shrugged at Alanna and Wildcat, who had grinned at her. "It's better than Nut Job. Hey, Sammy! What's been happening?" Riley followed her, glancing around nervously; it wasn't his first time in the Dancing Dove, but he was still nervous about being seated with thieves and Rogues. The earthlings had paused suspiciously at the doorway.

"Sarah…" Alanna began, looking back at the group. "Are you sure you want to bring them here? They're looking pretty uncomfortable."

She shrugged. "That'll teach them for prying into my life without asking me first." She turned back to the group, grinning wickedly. "Come on in, guys."

They slowly moved through the door, their cop instincts screaming. Sarah saw Marek, seated next to Sam, signal to two of the Ladies of the Rogue, who immediately sashayed up to the men. Sarah choked on a laugh before looking sternly at the King. "That's going a little bit too far."

He sighed and whistled, and they immediately backed off. Calling to the bartender, he yelled, "I'll have an ale for th' Lioness and th' Lady Shang, and whatever Target Practice's friends want. I'm assuming you and the tyke'd be wanting a lemonade?" He directed the last part to Sarah, who nodded, with Riley sitting next to her.

"If you'd be wanting this place standing in half an hour." She imitated with a grin. "Hey, guys, take a seat. D'you want ale, or mead, or lemonade…" She let the question hang, noticing the grimaces on their faces.

"Water." Cragen said, and they each nodded in agreement.

Sarah sighed before turning back to the King of the Rogue. "So, ferret out any more discontent?"

"There's none to be ferreted. With your defeat of the mage, no one's thinking you'd be a better paycheck than friend, so you needn't worry."

"Worry?" She asked, accepting a glass from the bartender with a grin and a copper for his troubles. "Why would I be worried? We all know a Rogue can't match a full blooded knight."

"Oh ho! So it's t' be like that, then is it lass?" He asked with a grin.

Sarah returned it, sipping on her drink even as Riley answered. "Excuse me, Rogue, but no one can beat Sarah. Not a Rogue, at least." He spoke nervously, a slight tremor in his voice.

"Ah, the little one's found his voice, has he?" Marek grinned at Riley, who blushed and sipped his lemonade.

Gulping down her drink, she glanced to the earthlings, who were searching the room with their eyes, as though looking for a criminal to persecute. "I suppose we'd better go. I just thought we'd pop in to make sure you weren't having any trouble with your men."

Sarah stood and signaled to the other knight and the Shang, who drained their glasses at the bar and stood as well. The earthlings stood up like a bolt, hurrying out the door. Riley followed hot on their heels. At the door, Sarah turned and offered Marek a mock bow, which he returned with a grin.

Outside in the bright winter sun, Sarah grinned at the earthlings. "Where do you want to go now? The big markets are over, but there's the craft district about three streets away, and if you're hungry I know a great eatery… What?" She asked. "I guess that little experience will teach you not to go prying into my personal life without asking _me_ first."

Their jaws dropped and she turned on one heel. "I'm hungry."

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The spell Mithros had on her still hadn't been lifted, so come nightfall Sarah was examining the earthlings carefully, picking at loose threads and miniscule pieces of lint. Sighing, she patted down her own hair. "I still can't believe I'm _voluntarily_ going to a ball when I've been given a leave of absence. This is ridiculous."

"Boy, you really don't like balls, do you?" Casey asked with a grin.

Sarah gestured down at herself. "Look at me! How _can_ I like balls when the Queen wants to dress me up? I'm wearing a bloody pink gown!"

Thayet bustled into the room, looking resplendent in a blue tissue gown with diamond earbobs and an expensive looking diamond necklace. "Stop complaining. My Lord decided, once you had told him you were attending tonight, that you should be noticed. And people are used to you wearing breeches to these things; what better way for you to be noticed than to wear a stunning gown and earbobs?"

Scowling, Sarah accepted the box she was offered and quickly donned the pearl earrings and necklace. "Happy?" She snapped, and the Queen shook her head.

She approached with a grin. "Face paint." Reaching out to apply some lip rouge, Sarah's hands snaked up to grab her wrist.

"No." Sarah said firmly. "I draw the line at meaningless pieces of frippery. No face paint. No more fiddling. Either we leave now or I'm backing out."

Thayet sighed and gestured to the door, but when Sarah turned around she tackled the back of her hair with a decorative pin. "Damnit Thayet!" Sarah growled.

Marching out the door, she frowned thunderously for the entire walk to the Grand Ballroom. The herald took one look at her and nodded in appreciation. "Very nice, Lady Sarah. An improvement on the breeches you normally wear." She scowled at him, and Thayet gave him the list of names to announce before being announced herself.

"Are you all ready?" Sarah asked, appraising them once again.

At their chorus of bored affirmatives, she pursed her lips and nodded to the herald, who pulled open the doors once again and announced, "Lady Knight Sir Sarah of Greenstone, Messenger for the Gods, defeater of the Sorrows and victor over the Black Robe Jat Krendice, and her guests, Captain Donald Cragen, Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak, Doctor George Huang, and Detectives Olivia Benson, Elliot Stabler, John Munch and Odafin Tutuola."

Sarah glared at him as she passed. "What happened to abbreviating my title?" She muttered out of the side of her mouth. He merely shrugged and grinned.

As she walked into the room she noticed her appearance had garnered the desired effect; there were stares as her and the earthlings made their way into the room. Moving over to curtsey to the king, she glared at him. "This is your fault."

"Calm down." He replied. "You look stunning."

Considering flipping him the bird, she decided against it and settled for a glare. "Very funny."

When dinner rolled around she was seated with Cragen, Casey and George; Riley served them with a grin. Dinner, an extravagant affair, consisted of a leak soup, steamed vegetables garnished with a tangy lemon dressing, crumbed chicken, and meringues shaped like kudarungs and unicorns. When it was over Sarah completed her ritual behavior by moving to the wall to wait out the rest of the evening in peace.

She didn't get her wish, however, as a foreign ambassador she recognized with distaste approached. "Messenger-"

"It's Sir, Lady Knight, or Lady Sarah. Not Messenger." Her response was short and to the point. The ambassador from Tyra drew up short. He was a stout, balding man with a potbelly and bad breath.

"My Lady, I heard of your recent ordeal. I wished to be certain you were well." He spoke ceremoniously; Sarah rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure you did." She muttered. "I'm not in the mood right now. Go away."

King Jon always joked about her diplomacy, but she wasn't in the mood to deal with a man that had probably had a hand in her attack. Alanna saw her company and drifted over, her eyes narrowed as she heard what the ambassador had to say.

"Is that the way to treat a guest of your King?" He asked mildly.

Sarah snorted. "Go. Away. And next time you and yours want to go to war with Tortall, have the guts to go about it directly."

"We have no intention of attacking your lands; in fact, we had nothing to do with the attacks you underwent-" He frowned at the implications.

"Please. Stop lying. Everyone here knows that the Tyrans will go to war with anyone if they think a country's weakened, but the minute that country gains strength, you're their best friend. Now leave me alone." She walked away from the man, signaling to a Page to bring her a cup of fruit juice.

The ambassador pursued, but Alanna pulled him to one side, speaking quietly in his ear. When he walked away, rather than approaching her again, she raised her eyebrows at Alanna, who shrugged and winked. "I told him if he didn't stop bothering you he'd end up facing me on the dueling fields."

Sarah nodded and looked around for the earthlings. Cragen, Casey, Elliot and Fin were talking with the Provost and the Magistrate in one corner; Olivia, Munch and George were seated with Myles, Duke Baird and George. They laughed every now and then, causing Sarah to look to Alanna in suspicion. "What are they talking about?"

"Myles, Baird and George are sharing tales of 'Alan the Page'. That's why I left; I couldn't stand the embarrassment." Alanna grinned at Sarah, before looking to the ambassador, who was speaking furiously with his guards; two burly knights. "Uh oh, it looks like your _diplomacy_ has gotten you in trouble, yet again."

Sarah shrugged. "I don't care. The Tyrans can go shove it up their-" The rest was muffled by a hand over her mouth. She glared at Alanna.

"There's that prize winning diplomacy. Oh, look, he's doing something." Alanna nodded in the direction of the man as he stalked towards the dais, where the King sat talking with Thayet.

"Your Majesty, I have bore a great dishonor tonight!" He began, and Sarah and Alanna both groaned. "It has been suggested that the great land of Tyra was involved in the assassination attempt on the Messenger for the Gods' life."

Walking towards the dais, Sarah shrugged to the King, indifferent. "I call them like I see them, Majesty. The fact that the psychotic mage that tried to kill me more or less told my guests that he was working with the acceptance of the Tyran government didn't hurt my _suggestion_."

Jon gave her a stern look, but Alanna's hand on her shoulder told her some people accepted her views. The room had gone silent, Sarah thought she might have heard Numair and Daine sigh from across the room as they stood and approached from her other side.

"This treatment is unacceptable!" The ambassador cried, and the look Jonathon gave Sarah made her cringe.

With pursed lips he nodded slowly. "Lady Knight, I believe you owe the ambassador -"

"Majesty, may I?" Casey stood quickly and made her way over. She bowed quickly, an imitation of the intricate bows Sarah performed, and Sarah grinned. "The exact words Jat Krendice said were 'I have no issue with the Messenger, but war will be easier with her out of the way'. My colleagues and I were there. He alluded to the fact that he had the support of the Tyran government, and that the Tyran government was considering going to war with Tortall."

"We have no such intentions!" The ambassador cried, but a flash of bright light and a crack of thunder interrupted his outraged denial.

Feeling the spell Mithros had on her lifting, she let a grin slowly grow on her face as she turned to face the Great Mother Goddess and Mithros. Bowing deeply, respectfully as was expected of her by the court, she turned back to the ambassador. "Would you care to swear to that before the Goddess and Mithros?" He just gulped and dropped to his knees, pressing his head against the floor. "I guess not."

She approached the deities and went to one knee. "To what do we owe this honor?"

"We are merely here to demonstrate our support of this country and its leaders." The Goddess replied as her and Mithros approached the dais, where Jon and Thayet, as well as everyone else, were kneeling on the floor. At a gesture from the Mother, they rose and shared a few words, bewildered expressions on their faces.

Watching closely, Sarah moved over to the earthlings, gesturing for Olivia, George and Munch to join the others seated by the Provost. When they were gathered Sarah said in a cheery voice. "Guess what. Mithros has removed the spell, you lot can go home, when you want. Just let me know-"

The God of War had approached while she had gathered them all together; now he spoke up. "_I_ will return them, now. Say your goodbyes."

She rolled her eyes. "I'd like to visit, if it's alright with you." She asked, an uncertain expression on her face. "It was a refreshing change from what I've come to consider the norm."

Casey grinned. "Of course, you can come as often as you want." She wrapped Sarah in a quick hug before stepping aside, allowing Olivia to say her goodbyes.

"You helped rescue me from Carter. If it weren't for you and Numair, the others would never have found me. Thank you."

The others all said goodbye in their various ways, and Sarah was somehow left face to face with George. "Alanna told us last night of some of the things you've encountered. Even if you don't speak about it with a trained professional, you need to speak about it with someone."

She rolled her eyes. Trust _him_ to use a goodbye as an opportunity to advise her to get professional help. "George, I did the whole 'cry in the arms of my friends' thing last time. It didn't really help much. I'll be fine. Thanks for the concern, though."

Mithros looked to her in askance. When she nodded there was a flash of light, and Sarah sighed. They had disappeared with the flash of light. The two Gods in residence nodded to her before they too departed. "Well. I think _that_ was certainly informative." She spoke to the King. "What kind of innocent man chooses _not_ to swear to his innocence in front of the God of Law?"

The ambassador's jaw worked. Sarah thought she saw a vein popping out of his forehead, and he stood to hurry hastily from the still silent room. "Must've been too much excitement for him. Come on folks, what're you gaping for. This is a party!"

The End!

Woohoo… after rewriting my story it is now almost three times as long as it started out. Thanks to Kelly of the Midnight dawn for all the great ideas, and thanks to Orohippus for all the corrections to my grammar and spelling (Lol, I can always rely on you).

Anyway, there'll be more SVU action in my next story, which I have already written, but anyway… lol. That is, of course, if anyone got this far. There'll also be Tamora Pierce: Emelan stuff and Justice League stuff, but anyway…

Oh, and sorry to Kelly, but I TRIED to make it EO, unfortunately it kinda didn't really work out. Sorry!

THANKS FOR READING!!!

Now, click on that little button that says review… that's right, that one just below this bit…


	17. Authors Note

Thank you all so much for reviewing! To answer Kathy's question, because I didn't have a login for her to reply to, the next one is set all over the place.

I'm putting it up this afternoon, so far its 200 pages long (and finished, but still in severe editing mode), and it takes place first in Tortall – verse, then Briar and the girls from Emelan come into it, then… well, not to spoil the surprise, but you've got Justice League and a bit more SVU action.

I'm glad you like the stories, thanks again to Orohippus for the reviews, and to all of you, and (pretend I'm putting on a weird comic book announcer's voice) stay tuned for the next exciting adventure!

Oh, and Orohippus, yes, Sarah saved the day yet again in this one, but the next one… not quite so… at least, not on the first mission. This story will involve two missions for the Gods, and one personal mission of her own. The first one's short, but it sets Sarah's mood for the entire story!

And I will stop blabbering, because I do it way too often.


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